multiplet

[ muhl-tuh-plet, -plit ]

/ ˈmʌl təˌplɛt, -plɪt /

noun Physics.

a group of several related spectral lines, usually of nearly the same wavelengths.

Nearby words

multiple-choice, multiple-unit car, multiple-valued, multiple-valued function, multiplepoinding, multiplet, multiplex, multiplexer, multipliable, multiplicand, multiplicate

Origin of multiplet

First recorded in 1920–25; multi- + (tri)plet

Also called multiplet line.

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

British Dictionary definitions for multiplet

multiplet

/ (ˈmʌltɪˌplɛt, -plɪt) /

noun physics

a set of closely spaced lines in a spectrum, resulting from small differences between the energy levels of atoms or molecules

a group of related elementary particles that differ only in electric charge

Word Origin for multiplet

from multiple; on the model of doublet

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