multi

¹ American  

[muhl-tee, -tahy] / ˈmʌl ti, -taɪ /

noun

plural

multis

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

   This dress comes in pink or green multi.

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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.

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multi- British  

combining form

1. many or much

   multiflorous

   multimillion

2. more than one

   multiparous

   multistorey

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multi– Scientific  

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

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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

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

“It’s been a big success by pretty much everybody’s account and has sped up the production of these multi mission vessels and controlled costs, so they actually are getting done on time and on budget,” Clark said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Future research will monitor microplastic levels in Antarctic soils and conduct longer, multi stress experiments on Belgica antarctica and other soil organisms.

From Science Daily

Using resources such as MSU's Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Core, the team assembled a detailed picture of the multi step, high energy process sperm rely on to achieve fertilization.

From Science Daily