Etymology

multiply

M3U1L1T1I1P3L1Y4

Today it means: To increase the amount, degree or number of (something). Full definition →

Old French multiplier ← Latin multiplicō
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

multiply · verb, noun1

  1. Latin · derived frommultiplicō
  2. Old French · derived frommultiplier
  3. English todaymultiply

From Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicō, from multi (“many”) + plicō (“to fold”). The noun presumably derives from the verb.

multiply · adverb2

  1. Englishmultiple
  2. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  3. Proto-Germanic*līką
  4. English todaymultiply

From multiple + -ly.

multiply · adjective3

multi- + ply

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.