mod·i·fi·ca·tion (mŏd'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)
n.

1. The act of modifying or the condition of being modified.
2. A result of modifying.
3. A small alteration, adjustment, or limitation.
4. Biology. Any of the changes in an organism caused by environment or activity and not genetically transmissable to offspring.
5. Linguistics.
   1. A change undergone by a word that is borrowed from another language.
   2. A phonological change undergone by a word or morpheme when it is used in a construction, as the change of will to 'll in they'll.

modificator mod'i·fi·ca'tor n.
modificatory mod'i·fi·ca'to·ry (-kā'tə-rē) or mod'i·fi·ca'tive (-kā'tĭv) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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