Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make manifold; increase in number or quantity; make more by natural generation or reproduction, or by accumulation, addition, or repetition: as, to multiply men or horses; to multiply evils.
  • In arithmetic, to perform the operation of multiplication upon. See multiplication, 2.
  • To increase (the precious metals) by alchemical means. See multiplication, 3.
  • To grow or increase in number or extent; extend; spread.
  • In arithmetic, to perform the process of multiplication. See multiplication, 2.
  • To increase gold or silver by alchemical means.
  • In a manifold way.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To increase in number; to make more numerous; to add quantity to.
  • transitive verb (Math.) To add (any given number or quantity) to itself a certain number of times; to find the product of by multiplication. See the Note under Multiplication.
  • transitive verb obsolete To increase (the amount of gold or silver) by the arts of alchemy.
  • transitive verb (Mach.) gear for increasing speed.
  • transitive verb (Opt.) See under Lens.
  • intransitive verb To become greater in number; to become numerous.
  • intransitive verb To increase in extent and influence; to spread.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To increase amount of gold or silver by the arts of alchemy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In many or multiple ways.
  • verb transitive To increase the amount, degree or number of (something).
  • verb transitive, arithmetic To perform multiplication on (a number).
  • verb intransitive To grow in number.
  • verb intransitive To breed or propagate.
  • verb intransitive, arithmetic To perform multiplication.
  • verb transitive, rare To be a factor in a multiplication with (another factor).
  • noun computer science An act or instance of multiplying.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb combine by multiplication
  • verb have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)
  • verb have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant
  • verb combine or increase by multiplication
  • adverb in several ways; in a multiple manner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

multiple +‎ -ly.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicō, from multi ("many") + plicō ("I fold").

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Examples

Comments

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  • (Mul-ti-PLY) perform an operation in arithemtic

    (MUL-ti-Plee) More than once

    March 27, 2007