modify

/ˈmä-də-ˌfī/

Middle English modifien, from Anglo-French modifier, from Latin modificare to measure, moderate, from modus

verb

to make less extreme : moderate
to limit or restrict the meaning of especially in a grammatical construction
to change (a vowel) by umlaut

traffic rules were modified to let him pass

change alter vary modify mean to make or become different. change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another. alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

verb

to modify (something) in advance

premodify a computer