1. A manner, way, form, or method of doing something: New modes of electronic equipment are being produced very often by computer manufacturers.
2. A particular form, variety, or manner: When Judy felt in a creative mode, she would sew new fashionable clothes for her children.
3. The current or customary fashion or style: What is the present-day color mode for jackets; bright colors or gray and black?
4. A setting or function on a machine: Not only do computer companies often create new models, but they also keep coming up with new modes of programs or procedures which are not always easy to adapt to.
5. Etymology: "manner", from late 14th century, "kind of musical scale"; from Latin modus, "measure, rhythm, song, manner". © ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

A form of discharge produce by a perforated-wall hollow cathode operating under conditions of pressure, voltage, and geometry which is usually associated with the abnormal glow discharge.

The use of a block cipher (encryption method), usually employing the data encryption standard (DES), in which each 64-bit block of data is enciphered or deciphered separately, and every bit in a given output block depends on every bit in its respective input block and on every bit in the key, but on no other bits.

A mode of data transmission between the tag and reader in which errors or missing data is automatically corrected.

A power-down mode in a computer that provides a quicker start up than usual when turned on again: The hibernation mode eliminates the need to reboot the operating system from a complete shut down, which often takes much longer.