Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Modification has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
"The tailor asked for a modification to shorten the sleeves before I picked up my new blazer."
the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase
"In linguistics, she explained how the adjective in her sentence creates a modification by narrowing down which car was actually speeding."
an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
"the change was intended to increase sales"
"this storm is certainly a change for the worse"
"the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago"
The form of existence belonging to a particular object, entity etc.; a mode of being.
"The ancient manuscript reveals that each page represents a distinct modification of the text's original divine vision."
In plain English: A modification is a change made to something to improve it or make it work better.
"The software update included several minor modifications to improve security."
Usage: Use modification to describe an action or process of changing something, not the abstract state of existing in a specific way. It refers to a deliberate alteration rather than the inherent mode of being of an object.
The word "modification" comes from the Latin modificatio, which originally meant "a measuring." It entered English through Middle French and Middle English before taking on its current sense of making changes to something.