multifactorial

[ muhl-tee-fak-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-, muhl-tahy- ]

/ ˌmʌl ti fækˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-, ˌmʌl taɪ- /

adjective

having or stemming from a number of different causes or influences: Some medical researchers regard cancer as a multifactorial disease.

Nearby words

multidentate, multidirectional, multidisciplinary, multiethnic, multifaceted, multifactorial, multifactorial inheritance, multifamily, multifarious, multifid, multifilament

Origin of multifactorial

First recorded in 1915–20; multi- + factor + -ial

Related forms

mul·ti·fac·to·ri·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for multifactorial

multifactorial

/ (ˌmʌltɪfækˈtɔːrɪəl) /

adjective

genetics of or designating inheritance that depends on more than one gene

involving or including a number of elements or factors

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012