multiplication

[muhl-tuh-pli-key-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of multiplying multiply or the state of being multiplied. multiply.

2. Arithmetic.,  a mathematical operation, symbolized by a × b, a ⋅ b, a ∗ b, or ab, and signifying, when a and b are positive integers, that a is to be added to itself as many times as there are units in b; the addition of a number to itself as often as is indicated by another number, as in 2×3 or 5×10.

3. Mathematics.,  any generalization of this operation applicable to numbers other than integers, as fractions or irrational numbers.

multiplication

/ ˌmʌltɪplɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. an arithmetical operation, defined initially in terms of repeated addition, usually written a × b, a.b, or ab, by which the product of two quantities is calculated: to multiply a by positive integral b is to add a to itself b times. Multiplication by fractions can then be defined in the light of the associative and commutative properties; multiplication by 1/ n is equivalent to multiplication by 1 followed by division by n: for example 0.3 × 0.7 = 0.3 × 7/ 10 = (0.3 × 7)/10 = 2 1/ 10 = 0.21

2. the act of multiplying or state of being multiplied

3. the act or process in animals, plants, or people of reproducing or breeding

multiplication

1. A mathematical operation performed on a pair of numbers in order to derive a third number called a product. For positive integers, multiplication consists of adding a number (the multiplicand) to itself a specified number of times. Thus multiplying 6 by 3 means adding 6 to itself three times. The operation of multiplication is extended to other real numbers according to the rules governing the multiplicative properties of positive integers.

2. Any of certain analogous operations involving mathematical objects other than numbers.

Other Word Forms

• multiplicational adjective
• nonmultiplication noun
• nonmultiplicational adjective
• overmultiplication noun
• remultiplication noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiplication¹

1350–1400; Middle English multiplicacio ( u ) n < Latin multiplicātiōn- (stem of multiplicātiō ). See multi-, plication

Example Sentences

By 3, she was writing with upper elementary school precision, had conquered multiplication tables and understood division, her father said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a blog post, Schwarcz explained that the Toxin-Free Future scientists miscalculated the lower end of what the EPA considered a health risk through a multiplication error.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One key operation in a deep neural network involves the use of linear algebra to perform matrix multiplication, which transforms data as it is passed from layer to layer.

Read more on Science Daily

This multiplication of meaning is a form of linguistic play, a turning to imagine what one might do with the unexpected bounty of ten thousand spoons.

Read more on Salon

The team plied their subject AI models with questions drawn from a popular collection of more than 8,000 grade school arithmetic problems testing schoolchildren’s understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amplification