modos

Modos is the plural form of modo in Spanish and Portuguese, generally translated as modes, ways, manners, or states. The term derives from Latin modus and is used across disciplines to denote a particular method, condition, or parameter set.

In linguistics, modo commonly refers to mood. The plural modos appears when discussing the set of grammatical moods in a language, such as indicative, subjunctive, and imperative in Spanish and Portuguese.

In music theory, modos denotes musical modes—dialectical families of scales that originate from the diatonic seven-note scale. The traditionally named modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, and Locrian, each with a distinct interval pattern and tonal center. The concept has roots in ancient Greek theory and was central to medieval and Renaissance theory, later becoming foundational to modal harmony in modern jazz and contemporary music.

In technology and everyday use, modos commonly appear in phrases such as modos de operação (modes of operation) or mode selectors in devices and software, enabling different configurations or behaviors—examples include airplane mode, safe mode, and edit mode.

Beyond Spanish and Portuguese, the term appears in other Romance languages with the same root meaning, and in academic writing, modos is often used when discussing manners, methods, or modalities in a general sense.

See also: mode, mood, modality.