module

Etymology

Borrowed from French module, from Latin modulus (“a small measure, a measure, mode, meter”), diminutive of modus (“measure”) (whence mode). Doublet of modulus and mold.

noun

1. A self-contained component of a system, often interchangeable, which has a well-defined interface to the other components.
2. (architecture) A standard unit of measure used for determining the proportions of a building.
3. (programming) A section of a program; a subroutine or group of subroutines.
   Class modules are similar to form modules except they do not have a visible interface (GUI). 2001, Phil Jones, Visual Basic: A Complete Course, page 254
   When there is more than one protected module in memory, the rules for accessing the code and data sections of a given module treat all the other modules as if they were unprotected memory. 2013, Helmut Reimer, Norbert Pohlmann, Wolfgang Schneider, ISSE 2013 Securing Electronic Business Processes, page 244
4. A unit of education covering a single topic.
   Which modules are you studying next year?
5. A pre-prepared adventure scenario with related materials for a role-playing game.
   Dragonborn […] first appeared in the Dragons of Despair module (1984) for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons as “dragonmen.” 2011, Michael J. Tresca, The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, page 81
6. (algebra, ring theory) An abelian group equipped with the operation of multiplication by an element of a ring (or another of certain algebraic objects), representing a generalisation of the concept of vector space with scalar multiplication.
   Meronym: element
   Modules over a ring are a generalization of abelian groups (which are modules over ℤ). 1974, Thomas W. Hungerford, Algebra, Springer, page 168
   Approximately forty-five years ago K. Morita presented the first major results on equivalences and dualities between categories of modules over a pair of rings. 2004, Robert R. Colby, Kent R. Fuller, Equivalence and Duality for Module Categories (with Tilting and Cotilting for Rings), Cambridge University Press, page vii
   One defines in like manner right K-modules and two-sided K-modules. If K is commutative, then every left K-module is automatically equipped with the structure of right and a two-sided K-module. 2012, A. A. Kirillov, Elements of the Theory of Representations, Springer, page 29
7. (fractal geometry, mathematics) A fractal element.
8. (music) A file containing a music sequence that can be played in a tracker (called also mod or music module).
9. (hydraulics) A contrivance for regulating the supply of water from an irrigation channel.
10. (astronautics) An independent self-contained unit of a spacecraft.