What does modicum mean?
Word: Modicum
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Modicum means a small amount of something good or welcome.
Synonyms: bit
Word origin: Comes from Latin modicus, from modus.
How do you spell modicum?
Syllables: mod - i - cum
Tricky part: Students guess e or a for the vowel in the second syllable, since it is said so lightly. Only i is right.
Watch out for: modecum, modacum
Memory tip: A tiny amount deserves a tiny letter: put the thin i in the middle.
Modicum in a sentence
Example 1: Anyone with a modicum of common sense carries an umbrella in July in Mumbai.
Example 2: The new timetable gave the teachers a modicum of free time.
Example 3: Even a modicum of praise can brighten a shy child's day.
Fun Fact
Modest, moderate and modify all grew from the same Latin root as this word, so one small family of words covers good manners, fair amounts and small changes.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) decorum
b) moddicum
c) vacuum
d) quorum
Show answer
b) moddicum. The word opens with mod and a single d.
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the given sentence:
With a modicom of practice every day, Anu learnt to bowl a steady line on the school's concrete pitch.
a) a modest quantity that still helps
b) the direction in which a ball travels
c) regular work done to improve a skill
d) the strip of ground between the wickets
Show answer
a) a modest quantity that still helps. The word should close in um; practice, steady and concrete are fine.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Modicum goes back to the Latin word modus. What did modus mean?
a) measure
b) movement
c) money
d) moment
Show answer
a) measure. Something modest keeps within measure, and the same root sits behind this word.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. modicum 2. zenith 3. novice a. expert b. nadir c. abundance
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. A small amount is the reverse of abundance, a highest point of a nadir, and a beginner of an expert.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A shopkeeper with a modicum of patience has ___.
a) a little of it, at least
b) far too much of it
c) none of it at all
d) all that anyone could want
Show answer
a) a little of it, at least
2. Which of these could NOT follow 'a modicum of'?
a) comfort
b) luck
c) chairs
d) respect
Show answer
c) chairs
