Etymology

modal particle

Today it means: A word class that indicates the mood of an utterance. Full definition →

German Modalpartikel
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The story

  1. German · calque ofModalpartikel
  2. English todaymodal particle

From modal + particle, attested from the first half of the 19th century. Calque of German Modalpartikel.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.