modus operandi
{{short description|Habits of working}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
A {{lang|la|modus operandi}} (often shortened to M.O. or MO) 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 {{gloss|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,Vronsky, R. Serial Killers (Berkley Books, 2004) {{ISBN|0-425-19640-2}}, p. 412. where it can help in finding clues to the offender's psychology.Hazelwood, R. R, A. W. Burgess, Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation, (CRC Press, 2001) {{ISBN|0-8493-0076-2}}, p. 517. It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individuals to execute the crime, prevent its detection and facilitate escape.Douglas, J. E. and A. W. Burgess, A. G. Burgess, R. K. Ressler. Crime classification manual (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) {{ISBN|0-7879-8501-5}}, p. 19-21. A suspect's modus operandi can assist in their identification, apprehension, or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.Berg, B.L. Criminal Investigation (McGraw Hill, 2008) {{ISBN|978-0-07-340124-9}}
In business, modus operandi is used to describe a firm's preferred means of executing business and interacting with other firms.
Plural
The plural is {{lang|la|modi operandi}}.{{cite web |title=modus operandi |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modus%20operandi |website=merriam-webster.com |publisher=Merriam–Webster |access-date=5 December 2023}}{{cite book |editor1-last=Barber |editor1-first=Katherine |title=The Canadian Oxford Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195418163 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195418163.001.0001/m_en_ca0044552 |chapter=modus operandi|year=2004 |access-date=6 April 2020}} The word {{lang|la|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, {{lang|fr|les modes opératoires}} in French).
See also
- {{annotated link|Criminology}}
- {{annotated link|John E. Douglas}}
- {{annotated link|Latin phrases}}
- {{annotated link|Modus ponens|Modus ponens}}
- {{annotated link|Modus tollens|Modus tollens}}
- {{annotated link|Modus vivendi|Modus vivendi}}
- {{annotated link|Signature crime}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading
{{Refbegin}}
- 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}}.
{{Refend}}
External links
- {{Wiktionary-inline|modus operandi}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Modus Operandi}}
Category:Criminal investigation