septuple

Septuple is an adjective meaning sevenfold, or seven times as large or numerous. As a verb, to septuple means to multiply by seven. The noun form septuplet can refer to a group of seven items, though septuplet is more commonly used for a single seven-note group in music or for seven offspring in a single birth. The plural septuplets is used when speaking of multiple such groups or sets.

Etymology traces septuple to the Latin septem, meaning seven, with a suffix that conveys multiplicity. The word shares a family with other multiply- forms such as quadruple and quintuple, and entered English during the medieval period.

In mathematics and quantitative use, septuple denotes sevenfold scaling. For example, the septuple of a number n is 7n. The term appears in discussions of proportions, growth rates, and combinatorial counts where sevenfold relationships are described.

In music, a septuplet is a type of tuplet—the seven notes are played in the time typically allotted to four notes of the same value. This creates a rapid, evenly spaced grouping that fits within a single beat or a specified subdivision, depending on meter and note value.

Septuplets also occur in real-world contexts; in obstetrics, the term septuplet refers to seven offspring born in one birth, a rare instance of multiple birth. The general vocabulary of septuple covers both abstract multiplicity and concrete groupings of seven, with septuplet serving as a common label for seven-part divisions in various fields.