Modus operandi
Habits of working
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A modus operandi (often shortened to M.O., MO, or just modus; Latin pronunciation:ˈmɔ.dʊs ɔ.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'.[1]
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,[2] where it can help in finding clues to the offender's psychology.[3] It largely consists of examining the actions used by the individuals to execute the crime, prevent its detection and facilitate escape.[1] A suspect's modus operandi can assist in their identification, apprehension, or repression, and can also be used to determine links between crimes.[4] Motive is often intertwined with modus operandi, whereas motive is the why of the crime, and modus operandi the action.[5]
In business, modus operandi is used to describe a firm's preferred means of executing business and interacting with other firms.[6] 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.[7][8] 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 the French language).
See also
- Criminology – Field of studies related to crimes
- John E. Douglas – American criminal profiler (born 1945)
- Latin phrases
- Jack the Ripper – Unidentified serial killer in London in 1888
- Modus ponens – Rule of logical inference
- Modus tollens – Rule of logical inference
- Modus vivendi – Arrangement that allows conflicting parties to coexist in peace
- Signature crime – Exhibits characteristics unique to an offender's psychology
