multiform
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of multiform
From the Latin word multiformis, dating back to 1595–1605. See multi-, -form
Explanation
If you describe something as multiform, it can exist in many forms. By its nature, a transformer toy that can double as a car and as a robot can be called multiform. Many illnesses are multiform, like cancer, because they come in all different types with all sorts of symptoms and characteristics. But good things can be multiform as well; think of the multiform Hindu deity Vishnu with ten different avatars that range from a fish to a boar to a tortoise.
Vocabulary lists containing multiform
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: multi-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: multi
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He interprets one multiform category, “Monster,” from an original angle — the creature’s physical characteristics.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2021
Tokarczuk’s approach, like Melville’s, is encyclopedic and multiform.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 24, 2018
Related: Ben Carson has a foreign policy 'learning curve', adviser says A check-in with the University of Florida’ election analyst Michael McDonald on that other primary race and its multiform competitors.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 19, 2015
And no, we didn't see a Rothko multiform come to life before our eyes.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2012
Imperfect and inadequate as is the sketch I have drawn, it will be sufficient to show how great and multiform have been the influences of Christian philanthropy.
From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by William Edward Hartpole Lecky
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
