A modus operandi (often shortened to M.O., MO, or just modus; Latin pronunciation: [ˈmɔ.dʊsɔ.pɛˈran.dɪ]) 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'.

Term

The term is often used in police work when discussing crime and addressing the methods employed by criminals. It is also used in criminal profiling, where it can help in finding clues to the offender's psychology. It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individuals to execute the crime, prevent its detection and facilitate escape. A suspect's modus operandi can assist in their identification, apprehension, or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.

In business, modus operandi is used to describe a firm's preferred means of executing business and interacting with other firms. Also in a person’s routine patterns of action and decision‑making in normal situations, revealing their typical operating style.

Plural

The plural is modi operandi. 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

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