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• 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.

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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-.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

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

A research team in Japan has successfully recreated key human neural circuits in the laboratory using tiny, multi region brain models called assembloids.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 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

Vides in te omnium conjectos oculos, in te omnium bonorum spes sitas, ex te omnium vitas pendere, quas jamdiu multi tædio projecissent, nisi ut essent quas tibi impenderent.

From Microcosmography or, a Piece of the World Discovered; in Essays and Characters by Earle, John