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modulate

English

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modulate

  • /ˈmɒd͡ʒɪleɪt/ UK
  • /ˈmɒd͡ʒəˌleɪt/ UK
  • /ˈmɑ.d͡ʒəˌleɪt/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈmɑ.djuˌleɪt/ US, dialectal
  • /ˈmɒd͡ʒɪˌleɪt/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈmɒd͡ʒəˌleɪt/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈmɔd͡ʒəˌlæɪt/ Australia
  • /ˈmɒd͡ʒəˌlæɪt/ New Zealand

Where it comes from

From Latin modulor (“to measure, regulate, modulate”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix), from modulus (“measure”). Compare module, modulus. By surface analysis, modul(e) + -ate.

verb modulates · modulating · modulated

  1. transitive To change the pitch, intensity or tone of one's voice or of a musical instrument. "Can you tell?" she asked, in a trembling but well modulated and sensual voice.
  2. transitive To vary the amplitude, frequency or phase of a carrier wave in proportion to the amplitude etc of a source wave (such as speech or music).
  3. intransitive, transitive To move from one key or tonality to another, especially by using a chord progression.

Translations

Every language

verb to regulate

Españolmodular
Portuguêsmodular
Françaismoduler
Deutschmodulieren
Italianomodulare
Русскиймодулировать modulirovatʹ

verb to change the pitch (transitive)

Françaismoduler

verb to vary the amplitude etc.

Françaismoduler
Русскиймодулировать modulirovatʹ

verb to move from one key to another (intransitive)

中文轉調 /转调 zhuǎndiào, 移調 /移调 yídiào
Françaismoduler
Deutschmodulieren
Italianomodulare
Русскиймодули́ровать modulírovatʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"modulate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/modulate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

modulate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/modulate

Chicago

"modulate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/modulate.

BibTeX
@misc{modulate_2026,
  title = {modulate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/modulate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}