modish

The word 'modish' is a direct import from the French à la mode, meaning "in the current fashion." Its core, the morpheme 'mod,' traces back to the Latin modus, which fundamentally meant "measure" or "due limit." This evolved to signify "manner" or "way of doing something," a sense preserved in English words like 'mode' and 'modus operandi.' In the realm of aesthetics, the "proper manner" became associated with the prevailing style, leading to the French mode (fashion). The English adjective-forming suffix '-ish' was then appended, creating 'modish' to describe something possessing the characteristic of being in vogue, though often with a slight connotation of being temporarily or slavishly fashionable.

Structure: mod (fashion) + ish (adjective suffix) - mod: From French mode (fashion, style), from Latin modus (measure, manner, way). In this word, it functions as the root conveying the core concept of "fashionable manner." - ish: A suffix of Germanic origin (Old English -isc) used to form adjectives meaning "having the qualities of" or "belonging to."