Modus operandi
A modus operandi (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual’s habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as 'mode (or manner) of operating'.[1]
Term
The term is often used in police work when discussing
In business, modus operandi is used to describe a firm's preferred means of executing business and interacting with other firms.
Plural
The plural is modi operandi.[5][6] The word operandi is a gerund in the genitive case, "of operating"; gerunds can never be pluralised in Latin, as opposed to gerundives. When a noun with an attribute in the genitive is pluralised, only the head noun normally changes, just as in English with "of": "a fact of life, two facts of life" (unlike, for instance, les modes opératoires in French).
See also
- Criminology – Study of crime and criminal actions/behavior
- John E. Douglas – American criminal profiler
- Latin phrases
- Modus ponens – Rule of logical inference
- Modus tollens – Rule of logical inference
- Modus vivendi – Arrangement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace
- Signature crime – crime which exhibits characteristics unique to an offender's psychology
References
- ^ ISBN 0-7879-8501-5, p. 19-21.
- ISBN 0-425-19640-2, p. 412.
- ISBN 0-8493-0076-2, p. 517.
- ISBN 978-0-07-340124-9
- ^ "modus operandi". merriam-webster.com. Merriam–Webster. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ISBN 9780195418163. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
Further reading
- Levinson, D. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment (SAGE, 2002). ISBN 0-7619-2258-X.
- Carlo, P. The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez (Pinnacle Books 1996). ISBN 0-7860-1362-1.
External links
The dictionary definition of modus operandi at Wiktionary
