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

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 • Feb. 14, 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

“LA gave every multi family unit a green bin due to a bureaucratic fever dream about composting,” the person wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 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

Insula splendidior vestit mea, tempora latum Possideo imperium, multi mea jura tremiscunt.

From The Dance of Death Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood with a Dissertation on the Several Representations of that Subject but More Particularly on Those Ascribed to Macaber and Hans Holbein by Douce, Francis