Meaning

verb make less severe or harsh or extreme

verb add a modifier to a constituent

verb cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

originFrom Middle English modifien, from Middle French modifier, from Latin modificare (“to limit, control, regulate, deponent”), from modificari (“to measure off, set bound to, moderate”), from modus (“measure”) + facere (“to make”); see mode.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0