Jump To:

• multi
  multi

  noun

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

  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.
• multi–
  multi–

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

multi

¹ American  

[muhl-tee, -tahy] / ˈmʌl ti, -taɪ /

noun

multis plural

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

   This dress comes in pink or green multi.

---

adjective

1. multicolored.

multi- ² American  

1. 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

1. many or much

   multiflorous

   multimillion

2. more than one

   multiparous

   multistorey

---

multi– Scientific  

1. 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-.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• multis
  plural

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

See Examples For:

multi multi- multis

The Kyoto University and Hiroshima University team now plans to extend its method to larger and more general multi photon entangled states.

From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026

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 ● Feb. 21, 2026

On the plus side, F2Q showed solid results across RPO, Cloud Revenue, OCI, and multi cloud database revenue, Oppenheimer says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

This week, the Vatican revealed that his favourite four watches of all time included the 1960s nun-themed classic The Sound of Music, It's a Wonderful Life and Italian Roberto Benigni's multi award-winning Life is Beautiful.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025

In the two love poems "Apologia" and "Quia multi Amori" a deeper key is struck, and a note of pain predominates.

From Oscar Wilde by Ingleby, Leonard Cresswell

“In an eventual post-crisis world, a multi- polar environment lends itself to a much more gold-positive one. Additionally, many of the undercurrents that drove gold prices higher remain intact, albeit on pause,” he added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Mid-cap funds also received $153 million, but multi- and small-cap funds saw net selling worth $1.53 billion and $405 million, respectively.

From Reuters ● Sep. 15, 2023

“Today, we’re living in a multi- and trans-disciplinary universe made up of connecting links, so the old labels don’t really make sense anymore,” she added.

From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2022

The celebrations typically conclude with a multi- or single-day lantern festival.

From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2022

I remember meeting one day, at that period, a man who had risen by hard work from simple beginnings to the head of an immense business, and had made himself a multi- millionaire.

From Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White — Volume 1 by White, Andrew Dickson

I advise avoiding gummy multivitamin/mineral supplements, as they contain fewer nutrients and degrade much faster than “regular” multis.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2022