multi

¹ American

[muhl-tee, -tahy] / ˈmʌl ti, -taɪ /

noun

plural

multis

a pattern of several colors or hues, usually in stripes.

This dress comes in pink or green multi.

adjective

multicolored.

multi- ² American

a combining form meaning “many,” “much,” “multiple,” “many times,” “more than one,” “more than two,” “composed of many like parts,” “in many respects,” used in the formation of compound words.

multiply; multivitamin.

multi- British

combining form

many or much

multiflorous
multimillion
more than one

multiparous
multistorey

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

multi– Scientific

A prefix that means “many” or “much,” as in multicellular, having many cells.

Usage

What does multi- mean? Multi- is a combining form used like a prefix with a variety of meanings, including “many; much; multiple.” It is often used in scientific and technical terms.Multi- comes from Latin multus, meaning “much” and “many.” The Greek equivalent of multus is polýs, also meaning both “much” and “many,” which is the source of the combining form poly-. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article about poly-.What are variants of multi-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, multi- becomes mult-, as in multangular, from Latin multangulus. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about mult-.

Etymology

Origin of multi¹

By shortening of multicolor or multicolored

Origin of multi-²

Middle English < Latin, combining form of multus much, many

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Turnquist pointed out that there was a sharp intraday bounce that pushed the S&P 500 back into its multi‑month range.

From Barron's

“A break below that level would signal a breach of the lower bound of the multi‑month consolidation range and increase the risk of a retest of the November lows at 6,522 points,” said Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist at LPL Financial.

From Barron's

It had been December a few years ago, nearly Christmastime, and the fountain was decorated with large swoops of multi.colored lights that twinkled on and off.

From Literature

In his annual budget on Wednesday, the city's finance chief Paul Chan said the exchange would continue to explore establishing a multi‑asset post‑trade securities platform to cover China and Hong Kong equity and debt markets.

From Barron's

So, these multi, multimillion-dollar judgments against the district need to be satisfied, and without the judgment-obligation bonds, we would have to use general fund as cash to satisfy them,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023