multiply
pronunciation
How to pronounce multiply in British English:
UK [ˈmʌltɪplaɪ]
How to pronounce multiply in American English:
US [ˈmʌltɪplaɪ]
-
- Verb:
- combine by multiplication
- combine or increase by multiplication
- have young (animals)
- have offspring or young
-
- Adverb:
- in several ways; in a multiple manner
Word Origin
- multiply
- multiply: [13] Multiply is one of a large family of English words based on Latin multus ‘much’, a word of uncertain origin which may be related to Greek mála ‘very’ and Latin melior ‘better’. Multiply itself comes from the Latin derivative multiplicāre, formed with the element plic- ‘fold’ found also in complicated, explicit, etc, and therefore very closely parallel to the native English compound manifold.Other members of the family include multiple [17], from late Latin multiplus (the -plus is a relative of the -plic- in multiplicāre); multitude [14], from Latin multitūdō ‘crowd’, formed with the abstract noun suffix -tūdō; and of course the host of words formed since the 16th century with the prefix multi-, including multifarious [17] (based on Latin -fārius ‘doing’), multilateral [17], multinational [20], multiracial [20], and multistorey [20].=> fold
- multiply (v.)
- mid-12c., multeplier, "to cause to become many," from Old French multiplier, mouteplier (12c.) "increase, get bigger; flourish; breed; extend, enrich," from Latin multiplicare "to increase," from multiplex (genitive multiplicis) "having many folds, many times as great in number," from comb. form of multus (see multi-) + -plex "-fold," from PIE *plek- "to plait" (see ply (v.1.)). Mathematical sense is attested from late 14c. Related: Multiplied; multiplying.
Example
- 1. Multiply that time by 1.3 , he says , and you get a good marathon-pace goal .
- 2. The cells then mature and multiply .
- 3. If the virus moves too fast , it will not have time to multiply .
- 4. You need to expect god to multiply your seed .
- 5. Work out your height in meters and multiply the figure by itself .