many or much
multiflorous
multimillion
more than one
multiparous
multistorey
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-.
By shortening of multicolor or multicolored
Middle English < Latin, combining form of multus much, many
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the multi award-winning and critically acclaimed BBC sitcom was set at Slough paper merchant Wernham-Hogg.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Communities practiced cremation, traditional burials, skull only depositions, and complex multi stage burial rites, sometimes within the same settlements.
From Science Daily ● May 19, 2026
He said advice for schools could be obtained from the government, police, local authority and multi academy trusts.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
The machines are “a deliberate choice by a multi billion dollar corporation that absolutely knew what it was doing and chose to weaponize sound literally,” said Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the city’s first district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 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
The celebrations typically conclude with a multi- or single-day lantern festival.
From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2022
Still, he and his songwriting partner Tim Friese-Greene , a producer and multi- instrumentalist who served as an unofficial fourth member of Talk Talk, expected that the record would sell millions of copies.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 26, 2019
As a multi- threaded performance, this concert enables its listeners to select from among the many simultaneously performing groups.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
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
On the evidence of the man who ultimately became her husband she refused those of the Dukes of Hamilton, Buccleuch and Atholl, the Earls of Hopetoun, Aberdeen and Panrnure, cum multis aliis.
From Love Romances of the Aristocracy by Hall, Thornton
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 Bacon, Francis
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 Akrigg, Mark Bear
My dearly loved Friend,—I have received your note, non sine multis lachrymis, and though I am too weak to write or answer myself, I must dictate a few words of thankfulness to it.
From Memoirs of James Robert Hope-Scott, Volume 2 by Ornsby, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
