methodus

Methodus is a Latin noun meaning method, plan, system, or orderly procedure. It derives from the Greek methodos, a term used to denote a way of pursuing or carrying out a task. In Latin usage, methodus broadly connotes a systematic approach to inquiry, teaching, or practice.

Historically, methodus has been employed across philosophy, rhetoric, medicine, and the sciences to describe how knowledge should be pursued or presented. In classical and medieval writings, it often referred to the proper manner of reasoning or demonstration. In scholastic and early modern Europe, authors used the term to denote a structured framework for argument, instruction, or experimentation. Latin works labeled methodus typically aimed to guide practitioners in applying a disciplined procedure within a given domain.

In contemporary usage, the direct Latin term is largely historical; however, it persists in discussions of the history of science and in translations of older texts. The modern English word method, and related terms such as methodology, trace their lineage to methodus. The concept remains central in describing procedures, systematic steps, and curated approaches to problem solving in many fields.

See also: method, methodology, systematic method, approach to inquiry.