multiple

[muhl-tuh-puhl]

adjective

1. consisting of, having, or involving several or many individuals, parts, elements, relations, etc.; manifold.

2. Electricity.

   1. (of circuits) arranged in parallel.

   2. (of a circuit or circuits) having a number of points at which connection can be made.

3. Botany.,  (of a fruit) collective.

noun

1. Mathematics.,  a number that contains another number an integral number of times without a remainder.

   12 is a multiple of 3.

2. Electricity.,  a group of terminals arranged to make a circuit or group of circuits accessible at a number of points at any one of which connection can be made.

multiple

/ ˈmʌltɪpəl /

adjective

1. having or involving more than one part, individual, etc

   he had multiple injuries

2. electronics (of a circuit) having a number of conductors in parallel

noun

1. the product of a given number or polynomial and any other one

   6 is a multiple of 2

2. telephony an electrical circuit accessible at a number of points to any one of which a connection can be made

3. short for multiple store

multiple

1. A number that may be divided by another number with no remainder. For example, 4, 10, and 32 are multiples of 2.

Other Word Forms

• nonmultiple adjective
• multiply adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiple¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from French, from Late Latin multiplus “manifold”; multi-

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiple¹

C17: via French from Late Latin multiplus, from Latin _multiplex

Example Sentences

People in Huntingdon have found themselves at the centre of a national news story after a train was forced to make an unscheduled stop in their town after multiple stabbings on board.

Read more on BBC

She said two of the male suspects had been known to the police, as they each had multiple theft convictions.

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By tying these small brightness changes to specific locations on the planet and analyzing them in multiple colors, scientists can reconstruct temperatures across latitude, longitude, and altitude.

Read more on Science Daily

Graphene has long been a promising candidate for HHG research, but its perfect symmetry restricts it to producing only odd harmonics -- frequencies that are odd multiples of the original light source.

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The lab identified "multiple objects that measure approximately 2 metres x 3 metres" at a separate facility that may have been used as a school.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• different 
• numerous 
• various