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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

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

Cavanagh said he wanted to look at extreme power and wealth in America the influence of multi billionaires.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Supt Judy Hill added that the "ongoing multi agency response remains a high priority, with significant partnership resources and volunteers working tirelessly and in challenging circumstances, to support our efforts to extinguish the fires".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

But the W state, another major type of multi photon entanglement, had remained out of reach.

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

A courteous multi purchased it for his Long Branch cottage—said cottage costing a million.

From The Common Law by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers

“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

Davis’s protagonists are gray-skinned “Frocasions,” multi- or post-racial people partly inspired by her interracial marriage.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2022

“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

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 Andrew Dickson White

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

Alas! in regard to this, as well as to many a weightier matter, one may too truly affirm, Multa non sunt sicut multis videntur—Many things are not as they seem to many.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown

Beach of four or five miles to Hastings, enchanting Hastings, unique; Fairly Farm, Sir Whistler Webster's, just above it; perfect in its kind, cum multis aliis, &c.

From Lord Chatham His Early Life and Connections by Archibald Phillip Primrose Rosebery

Compare Cic Fam IV iii 2 'a multis et magnis molestiis abes'; I have found no parallel from verse.

From The Last Poems of Ovid by Mark Bear Akrigg

This same multis utile bellum, is an assured and infallible sign, of a state disposed to seditions and troubles.

From The Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon