múltipla

Múltipla is the feminine form of múltiplo, a word used in Portuguese primarily as an adjective to indicate plurality or something that occurs in many forms. It commonly qualifies feminine nouns, for example in phrases like soluções múltiplas, opções de múltipla escolha, or formas múltiplas. In everyday language, múltipla conveys the sense of something consisting of several parts or possibilities.

In mathematics and related areas, the related masculine form múltiplo is more frequently encountered, as in múltiplos de um número. The feminine form is used when the noun being described is feminine, such as "múltiplas soluções" or "múltiplas opções." The plural is used for both genders: múltiplos, múltiplas.

Etymology traces múltipla to Latin multiplex, from multi- meaning many and plexus meaning folded or intertwined, passing into Portuguese through historical contact with Romance languages. The term shares its root with related words like múltiplo and multiplicação, all denoting the idea of more than one or manyfold.

Common usages include describing sets or scenarios with several possibilities (opções múltiplas), counting or identifying items that occur in more than one form (formas múltiplas), and in academic assessment terms as part of the phrase de múltipla escolha, referring to multiple-choice questions. While múltipla by itself is less often a standalone concept, it functions as a flexible modifier across contexts, aligning in gender and number with the nouns it describes. See também: múltiplo, múltiplos, múltipla escolha.