The modius was a Roman dry measure, roughly equivalent to a peck or bushel. Jesus uses it as a household object in his teaching about light: no one lights a lamp and puts it 'under a basket' (Matt 5:15, Mark 4:21, Luke 11:33). The image is absurd—hiding light under a grain container. The point is about visibility and purpose. The term appears consistently as a container for hiding: 'almud' (Spanish), 'boisseau' (French), 'Scheffel' (German)—all grain-measure baskets.