n. 1. A particular state of mind or emotion: news that put us in a good mood. 2. A pervading impression of an observer: the somber mood of the painting. 3. An instance or spell of sulking or angry behavior: A friend's visit lifted him out of his mood. 4. Inclination; disposition: I'm in the mood for ice cream. [Middle English mod, from Old English mōd, disposition; see mē-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. 1. Grammar a. A property of verbs in which the speaker's attitude toward the factuality or likelihood of the action or condition expressed. b. A category or set of verb forms or inflections used to indicate such an attitude. In English, the indicative mood is used to make factual statements, the subjunctive mood to indicate doubt or unlikelihood, and the imperative mood to express a command. 2. Logic The arrangement of statement types in a syllogism. [Alteration of MODE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.