multi

Multi is a prefix used in English to indicate plurality or multiplicity. It derives from the Latin multus meaning much or many and has been used since the Middle English period to form a wide variety of compounds. As a productive prefix, multi attaches to nouns, adjectives, or verbs to create terms that signal multiple components, aspects, or instances.

In common usage, multi appears across science, technology, and everyday language. Examples include multinational, multicultural, multimedia, multilingual, multimodal, and multitask. In mathematics and computing, related terms include multiset, multiplicity, multivariate, multilinear, multithreaded, multiprocessor, and multidimensional, all indicating multiple elements or dimensions or concurrent processes. The notion is often extended to products or capabilities, such as a multi-tool, a multi-channel system, or a multi-purpose device, where branding or product labeling may use truncated or hyphenated forms.

Orthography varies by context. Many established compounds are written as closed forms (multinational, multimedia), while others are hyphenated (multi-core, multi-disciplinary) to aid readability or to reflect a recent coinage. Style guides differ in preference, but the underlying idea remains: multi denotes more than one.

See also: prefix, Latin, multiplicity.