Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “multi-” come from?

multi- (English) comes from English multi, from English multituberculate, from English tuberculate, from Latin tuberculatus, from Latin tūberculum, from Latin tūber, from Proto-Italic tūβos, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

multi- (English): More than one; pertaining to more than one thing;...

Definitions

  1. More than one; pertaining to more than one thing;...

Ancestry of “multi-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmultiA multituberculate; Neolamprologus multifasciatus
2EnglishmultituberculateHaving molars with multiple rows of cusps; Any of...
3EnglishtuberculateHaving tubercles; Tubercular
4Latintuberculatuswarty, tuberculate
5Latintūberculum—
6Latintūber—
7Proto-Italictūβos—
8Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

Words derived from “multi-”

  • multi
  • multimedia
  • multicultural
  • multinational
  • multilateral
  • multidimensional
  • multiculturalism
  • multidisciplinary
  • multifaceted
  • multilevel
  • multimodal
  • multilingual
  • multiracial
  • multicenter
  • multiethnic
  • multilayered
  • multilateralism
  • multiplex
  • multiparty
  • multilayer
  • multifocal
  • multicolored
  • multicellular
  • multichannel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →