manifold

[ man-uh-fohld ]

/ ˈmæn əˌfoʊld /

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adjective

of many kinds; numerous and varied: manifold duties.

having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.: a manifold program for social reform.

using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.

(of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.

being such or so designated for many reasons: a manifold enemy.

noun

something having many different parts or features.

a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.

any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.

Machinery. a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.

Philosophy. (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.

Mathematics. a topological space that is connected and locally Euclidean.Compare locally Euclidean space.

verb (used with object)

to make copies of, as with carbon paper.

Nearby words

Origin of manifold

before 1000; Middle English; Old English manigf(e)ald (adj.). See many, -fold

SYNONYMS FOR manifold

1. various, multitudinous. See many. 2. varied, divers, multifarious.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR manifold ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR manifold

1. simple, single.

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Related formsman·i·fold·ly, adverbman·i·fold·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for manifold

Manifold the wonders,” said Sophocles, “nothing towers more wondrous than man!
On Transhumanism and Why Technology Is Our Silicon Nervous System|Jason Silva|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First, the Texas governor will have to explain away the manifold gaffes and failures from his last presidential campaign.
Can Rick Perry Get A Second Chance With GOP Voters In 2016|Myra Adams|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the accomplishments this group has managed to achieve in a very short time are manifold.
Newtown Six-Month Anniversary: The Victims Deserve More|Rob Cox|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
My first son was about to be born, and I was terrified that my manifold inadequacies as a man would sabotage my success as a dad.
The Promise of Happiness After the Newtown Shooting|William Giraldi|January 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Tributes to Barzun, who authored a massive shelf full of books from 1932-2004, will and have been manifold.
Remembering Jacques Barzun Remembering Robert Pitney|Paul Devlin|October 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The breech-loader has manifold advantages over the muzzle-loader in a wild country.
The Rifle and The Hound in Ceylon|Samuel White Baker
A good thing develops itself in infinite and unexpected shapes of good; a bad thing into manifold and astounding evils.
Indian Summer|William D. Howells
One was the Tree, or the representation of the divine emanations in their manifold and intricate complexities.
Solomon Maimon: An Autobiography.|Solomon Maimon
It is a circumstance, this court favor, worth considering in the poet's life, as the antecedent to his manifold spirit of piety.
Gifts of Genius|Various
The manifold of the special senses and the primary manifold are radically distinct.
A Commentary to Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'|Norman Kemp Smith

British Dictionary definitions for manifold

manifold

/ (ˈmænɪˌfəʊld) /

adjective formal

of several different kinds; multiplemanifold reasons

having many different forms, features, or elementsmanifold breeds of dog

noun

something having many varied parts, forms, or features

a copy of a page, book, etc

a chamber or pipe with a number of inlets or outlets used to collect or distribute a fluid. In an internal-combustion engine the inlet manifold carries the vaporized fuel from the carburettor to the inlet ports and the exhaust manifold carries the exhaust gases away

maths

a collection of objects or a set
a topological space having specific properties

(in the philosophy of Kant) the totality of the separate elements of sensation which are then organized by the active mind and conceptualized as a perception of an external object

verb

(tr) to duplicate (a page, book, etc)

to make manifold; multiply

Derived Formsmanifolder, nounmanifoldly, adverbmanifoldness, noun

Word Origin for manifold

Old English manigfeald. See many, -fold

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

Word Origin and History for manifold

manifold

adj.

Old English monigfald (Anglian), manigfeald (West Saxon), "various, varied in appearance, complicated; numerous, abundant," from manig (see many) + -feald (see -fold). A common Germanic compound (cf. Old Frisian manichfald, Middle Dutch menichvout, German mannigfalt, Swedish mångfalt, Gothic managfalþs), perhaps a loan-translation of Latin multiplex (see multiply). Retains the original pronunciation of many. Old English also had a verbal form, manigfealdian "to multiply, abound, increase, extend."

manifold

adv.

Old English manigfealdlic "in various ways, manifoldly," from the source of manifold (adj.).

in mechanical sense, first as "pipe or chamber with several outlets," 1884, see manifold (adj.); originally as manifold pipe (1857), with reference to a type of musical instrument mentioned in the Old Testament.

Science definitions for manifold