module

 
Pronunciation: /ˈmɒdjuːl/

noun

  • 1each of a set of standardized parts or independent units that can be used to construct a more complex structure, such as an item of furniture or a building: ships are now built in modules rather than built in a whole from the base up
  • each of a set of independent units of study or training that can be combined in a number of ways to form a course at a college or university: nine optional modules must be taken [with modifier]: a Law module
  • Computing any of a number of distinct but interrelated units from which a program may be built up or into which a complex activity may be analysed: a networking module
  • 2a detachable self-contained unit of a spacecraft: Spacelab, an extra module for the shuttle, will quadruple the experimental facilities on board

Origin:

late 16th century (in the senses 'allotted scale' and 'plan, model'): from French, or from Latin modulus (see modulus). Current senses date from the 1950s