| 释义 |
multi-|ˈmʌltɪ|
occas. before a vowel mult-(e.g. multangular, multarticular, multocular),
combining form of L. multus much, many. The compounds having this prefix in Latin belong for the most part to non-classical times: they are chiefly of parasynthetic formation, in which multi- = ‘many’, as multangulus many-angled, multicaulis many-stalked, multigenerus of many kinds, but a certain number of objective or adverbial compounds also existed, in which multi- = ‘much’, as multibibus much-drinking, multicupidus desiring much, multiscius knowing much.
In English the compounds of multi- were originally either direct adaptations from Latin compounds or were modelled upon them, but in the 19th c. the prefix came into frequent general use with ppl. adjs. and ns. (Cf. poly-.) The earliest English borrowings from Latin were multifary (Lydgate), multifarious (Nashe, 1593), multiformity (Puttenham, 1589); they did not become numerous till the middle of the 17th c. The more important compounds (being chiefly those which have a continuous history from the 17th c. onwards) are entered as Main words; the present article comprises a typical selection of modern scientific terms and of compounds of a general character.
1. Forming parasynthetic adjectives, with the sense of ‘many’. (From the adjs. are formed advbs. (e.g. multiserially) and ns. (e.g. multicellularity).)
a. In scientific and technical use: multicelled, multi-molecular, multi-perforated, multi-stranded; multi-ˈangular = multangular. multi-ˈareolate, consisting of many small areas. multi-arˈticular, affecting more than one joint. multi-arˈticulate, -ated, having many articulations, as the legs and antennæ of insects; cf. multarticulate. multiˈaxial, having many axes or lines of growth. multiˈcamerate, of many chambers. multiˈcapsular, (of a pericarp) having many capsules. multi-ˈcarinate, -ated (see quots.). multiˈcellular, many-celled; hence ˌmulticelluˈlarity, the state or condition of being multicellular. multiˈcentral, connected with or dependent upon several centres. multiˈcentric, pertaining to or having many centres or foci; (of a chromosome or chromatid) having many centromeres. multiˈciliate, -ated, having many cilia. multiˈcipital [cf. bicipital], many-headed. multiˈcoccous [see coccus], having many cocci or cells. multiˈcorneal, having many corneæ. multiˈcostate, having more than one rib; palmately nerved. multiˈcuspid, -ˈcuspidate, having more than two cusps. multiˈcyclic Geol., produced by or having undergone many cycles of erosion and deposition. multiˈdentate, (a) having or armed with many teeth; (b) Chem. (of a ligand) having more than one point at which it can be attached to a central atom. multidenˈticulate, having many denticulations; having a finely-toothed margin. multiˈdigitate, having many fingers or finger-like processes. multidiˈmensional, of more than three dimensions; hence ˌmultidimensioˈnality, the property of being multidimensional; multidiˈmensionally adv., in a manner that involves or requires more than three dimensions. multifacˈtorial, involving or dependent on a number of factors (spec. genes) or causes; hence multifacˈtorially adv. multiflaˈgellate, having many flagella. multiˈfocal, having or pertaining to several foci, or a range of focal lengths; also as n. pl., spectacles with multifocal lenses. multiˈfoliate, -ˈfoliolate, having many (more than 7 or 9) leaflets. multiˈganglionate, having many ganglia. multigeˈneric, derived from or involving more than one genus. multiˈgranulate, -ˈgranulated, having many granules or grains. multiˈguttulate, having many drop-like spots. multijugate |mʌlˈtɪdʒəgət, mʌltɪˈdʒuːgət|, multi-jugous [L. jugum yoke, pair], having many pairs of leaflets. multilaˈciniate, having many laciniæ. multilaˈmellar, -laˈmellate, -laˈmellous, having many lamellæ. multiˈlaminar, -ˈlaminate, -ated, having many laminæ or layers. multiˈlinear, having many lines; Alg., applied by MacMahon to an operator invented by him. multiˈliteral, (of an equation) involving several unknowns. multi-ˈlobar, -ˈlobate, ˈmultilobed, having many lobes. multiˈlobular, -ˈlobulate, -ated, characterized by many lobules. multiˈlocular, -ˈloculate, -ated, having, consisting of, or characterized by many cells or chambers. multiˈmacular, having many maculæ. multimammate, having several pairs of mammæ, esp. used to designate the multimammate rat or mouse, Mastomys natalensis, a rodent found in tropical Africa. multiˈnervose, having many nervures. multiˈnodal, -ˈnodate, -ˈnodous, having many nodes or knots. multiˈnuclear, -ate, -ated, having more than one nucleus; so multiˈnucleolar, -ate, -ated (in recent Dicts.). multi-ˈovular, -ˈovulate, containing many ovules. multipaleˈaceous, having numerous paleæ. multiˈperforate, characterized by many perforations. multiˈpinnate, many times pinnate. multiˈplanar, consisting of, or related to, a number of planes. multipoˈtential Med., capable of differentiating into any of several kinds of cell or tissue. multiˈradiate, -ated, having many rays. multiraˈdicular, having many radicles. multiˈsacculate, having many sacculi. multiˈsegmentate, -ˈsegmented, having many segments. multiˈseptate, having many septa or partitions; divided into many chambers, as the pith of a walnut. multiˈserial, arranged in many series or rows; hence multiˈserially adv.; so multiˈseriate. multiˈsiliquose, -ˈsiliquous, having or producing many seed-vessels. multiˈspectral, operating in or involving several of the regions into which the electromagnetic spectrum is conventionally divided. multiˈspermous [Gr. σπέρµα seed], many-seeded. multiˈspicular = multispiculate. multiˈspiculate, having many spicules. multiˈspinous, many-spined. multiˈspiral, having many spiral coils or convolutions. multiˈstable, (of a system) composed of a number of interconnected subsystems each of which can achieve stability independently of the others; so multistaˈbility, the property or state of being multistable. multiˈstriate, marked with numerous striæ or streaks. multi-ˈsulcate, -ated, many-furrowed. multitenˈtaculate, having many tentacles. multituˈberculated, having many tubercles. multiˈtubular, having numerous tubes; applied esp. to locomotive boilers having many tubes traversing the flame space. multiˈvoltine [It. volta time, turn], (of a silkworm) producing several broods in a year; cf polyvoltine.
1842Francis Dict. Arts, *Multiangular. 1874H. C. Wood Fresh-w. Algæ 11 Very often triangular, rarely multiangular.
1861H. Hagen Syn. Neuroptera N. Amer. (Smithsonian Misc. Collect. IV.) 341 *Multi-areolate.
1879St. George's Hosp. Rep. IX. 232 Two previous attacks had commenced in the typically gouty fashion, but had become subsequently *multi-articular.
1819G. Samouelle Entomol. Compend. 99 Legs bifid, the last joint of the four anterior pairs..uniarticulate..; of the other pairs of legs *multiarticulate. 1870Rolleston Anim. Life 78 The termination of the multi-articulate antennae in a filament, not in a club.
1840Cuvier's Anim. Kingd. 486 A pair of legs terminated by a very long, slender, and *multiarticulated tarsus.
1864H. Spencer Princ. Biol. I. §50. 137 Of *multiaxial growth that is discontinuous, a familiar instance among plants exists in the common strawberry.
1878Bell tr. Gegenbaur's Comp. Anat. 282 The elongated *multi-camerate hearts found in some Crustacea.
1731Bailey vol. II, *Multicapsular, divided into many partitions, as poppies, flax, &c. 1760J. Lee Introd. Bot. ii. xxxiii. (1765) 158 Reseda, with a multicapsular Fruit.
1842Brande Dict. Sci., etc., *Multi-carinate, in Conchology, is applied to a shell which is traversed by many keel-like ridges.
1840Smart, *Multi-carinated, having many projections.
1968Punch 31 July 157/2 Some urge..has merged it [sc. the public] into one worldwide, *multicelled acerebral organism. 1972Sci. Amer. Apr. 72/2 The globins were evolving to play several different roles during and after this period, as multicelled organisms arose.
1857Henfrey Bot. §626 *Multicellular filaments. 1884Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 95 The celebrated glands of the Hop..are multicellular peltate scales.
1916W. Trotter Instincts of Herd 18 Looked at in this way, *multicellularity presents itself as an escape from the rigour of natural selection. 1972Sci. Amer. Dec. 95/1 His Mesozoa may yet provide us with valuable evidence on the evolution of multicellularity and on the mechanisms of differentiation and development.
1864H. Spencer Princ. Biol. I. §50. 137 Central development may be distinguished into unicentral and *multicentral; according as the product of the original germ, develops symmetrically round one centre, or..in subordination to many centres. 1902Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Apr. 908 Cancers either started from one centre (unicentral or monocentral) or from many centres (multicentral or plurocentral).
1934Webster, Multicentric. 1941Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. IX. 153 Di- and *multicentric chromosomes. 1971Brit. Med. Bull. XXVII. 68/2 Multi-centric hypotheses have not proved as popular as multi-stage hypotheses, or theories which assume that a change from a normal to a malignant cell takes place in stages. 1972Year Bk. Dermatol. 185 The present study examined the ultrastructural characteristics of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis.
1902Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 75/2 The *multiciliate spermatozoids.
1901Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Jan. Epitome of Current Lit. 8/3 In *multiciliated species [of Bacteria].
1857A. Gray First Less. Bot. Gloss., *Multicipital, many-headed.
1831Macgillivray tr. Richard's Elem. Bot. 315 A fruit often raised into ridges, and separating naturally, when ripe, into as many distinct cocca, which open longitudinally..; whence the expressions tricoccous, *multicoccous, applied to this kind of fruit.
1883Q. Jrnl. Microsc. Sci. XXIII. 186 The *multi⁓corneal (polymeniscous) eye of Insects.
1849Balfour Man. Bot. §144 Reticulated Venation... I. Unicostate. A single rib or costa in the middle (midrib). II. *Multicostate. More than one rib. 1881Linn. Soc. Jrnl., Bot. XVIII. 271 Achenia multicostate.
1848Quain's Anat. (ed. 5) 971 The molar teeth, true or large molars, or *multicuspid teeth. 1870H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. 58 Minute spherical bodies covered with radiating and multicuspid spines.
1839–47Todd's Cycl. Anat. III. 298/2 The incisors are always very small, the molars generally *multicuspidate.
1952,1954*Multicyclic [see monocyclic a. 5]. 1966G. H. Dury Ess. Geomorphol. 128 The degree to which multi-cyclic bevelling is displayed varies widely. 1972Science 3 Nov. 503/1 A large proportion of the grains appears to be multicyclic, having undergone several cycles of erosion and deposition.
1819G. Samouelle Entomol. Compend. 97 Rostrum descending, *multidentate above. 1959Nomencl. Inorg. Chem. (I.U.P.A.C.) 64 A group containing more than one potential co-ordinating atom is termed a multidentate ligand. 1974Chem. Rev. LXXIV. 351/1 This review deals with the synthesis of multidentate macrocyclic compounds.
1873Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 287 (Cassell) The species of this group have the anterior tibiæ sometimes *multidenticulate.
1847–9Todd's Cycl. Anat. IV. i. 727/2 In all *multi-digitate mammalia, such as the Quadrumana, Carnivora, Rodentia, and Edentata.
1884R. A. Proctor in Gentl. Mag. Jan. 36 Systems of non-Euclidean geometry, or of *multidimensional space. 1956E. H. Hutten Lang. Mod. Physics v. 171 The propagation of the wave must be described as taking place, in most instances, in a multi-dimensional hyper⁓space, and not in ordinary space. 1963F. G. Lounsbury in J. A. Fishman Readings Social. of Lang. (1968) 49 Inflection in some languages is carried into several dimensions of variation, resulting in multidimensional paradigms running into hundreds or even thousands of forms. 1970Jrnl. Gen. Psychol. LXXXII. 172 Anxiety is a vague and multidimensional concept.
1967J. W. Johnston in T. Hayashi Olfaction & Taste II 48 This information could be utilized to investigate the relationship between the *multidimensionality of odors and the hypothetical sensor units or sites on the receptor membrane. 1968W. A. Scott in Lindzey & Aronson Handbk. Social Psychol. (ed. 2) II. 251 The dilemma of multidimensionality stems from the acceptance of a measurement model which equates dimension, in the geometrical sense, with psychological notions of attribute magnitude. 1970Computers & Humanities IV. 210 Meylan has to be selective in what he chooses for encoding, and is unable to represent the entire ‘multidimensionality’ of the melody (e.g., its complete context).
1957C. E. Osgood et al. in Saporta & Bastian Psycholinguistics (1961) 294/2 We may assume at the outset that meanings vary *multidimensionally.
1920W. E. Castle Genetics & Eugenics (ed. 2) xxxi. 275 It would be a mistake to cover up our present ignorance concerning the inheritance of these characters by classifying them either as unifactorial or as *multifactorial. 1937Biol. Rev. XII. 481 The melanism of Oporinia dilutata has a multi-factorial basis. 1960H. J. Eysenck Handbk. Abnormal Psychol. viii. 309/2 Most of the characteristics..are of a quantitatively variable kind, and..regulated by multifactorial and not unifactorial inheritance. 1965J. Pollitt Depression & its Treatment 96 The use of these terms is not in keeping with the view that the ætiology of depression is multifactorial. 1974Nature 10 May 145/2 It can be assumed that the aetiology of cranioschisis is at least complex and multifactorial involving environmental agents as well as genetic factors.
1954P. M. Sheppard in J. S. Huxley et al. Evolution as Process 212 (heading) The evolution of *multifactorially controlled characters. 1973Nature 22 June 433/1 The word genic is extended from its regular use to include multifactorially determined disorders.
1920T. P. Nunn Education 111 The *multi-focal view, to which Thorndike has now transferred his allegiance, holds that our abilities fall into a small number of groups. 1928S. Duke-Elder Pract. Refraction xxiii. 344 In the multifocal lenses, introduced by Gowland of Montreal, in 1922..the reading portion of the lens has a continuous variable curve, there being a gradual accretion of power from the periphery to the reading centre. 1961Brit. Jrnl. Surg. XLIX. 92/1 Low-grade, primary, multifocal osteosarcoma occurring in middle age appears to be a distinct entity. 1962L. S. Sasieni Princ. & Pract. Optical Dispensing v. 125 The accurate fitting of bifocals and multifocals will be considered later. 1971Optometry Today (Amer. Optometric Assoc.) 12 Special optical devices such as multi-focal lenses, contact lenses and other vision aids are used.
1856Mayne Expos. Lex., Multifoliatus, applied to a digitated leaf of which the common petiole terminates by more than nine folioles, as the Lupinus varius: *multifoliate. 1884Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 341 One bundle runs out into each of the leaves, which form multifoliate whorls.
1831Macgillivray tr. Richard's Elem. Bot. 138 *Multi⁓foliolate [leaves], composed of numerous leaflets; as in Lupinus varius.
1877Huxley Anat. Inv. Anim. vi. 263 The posterior part of the *multiganglionate cord which surrounds the gullet.
1953Internat. Code Nomencl. Cultivated Plants 25 Such [hybrids] as are trigeneric or *multigeneric. 1971J. Z. Young Introd. Study Man xxxii. 445 It may be that ultimately some or all the forms now called Australopithecus will be referred to as various species of the genus Homo... We prefer to keep a somewhat more conservative (multi⁓generic) classification.
1860Worcester, *Multigranulate.
1840Smart, *Multi-granulated.
1887W. Phillips Brit. Discomycetes 322 Sporidia *multiguttulate.
1831Macgillivray tr. Richard's Elem. Bot. 139 Oppositely pinnate leaves..are said to be..*Multijugate, when the pairs of leaflets are in indeterminate number.
1828–32Webster, *Multijugous.
1871W. A. Leighton Lichen-flora 90 Evernia furfuracea..dichotomously *multi-laciniate.
1878Bell tr. Gegenbaur's Comp. Anat. 398 On one spot of this [visual organ].. is placed a *multi-lamellar refractive apparatus. 1882Vines tr. Sachs' Bot. 95 The multilamellar epidermis.
1846Dana Zooph. (1848) 216 Cells .. infundibuliform,..*multilamellate.
1839Penny Cycl. XIV. 266/2 Animal..containing a calcareous polyparium..fixed in the lower part, enlarged, flattened, excavated, and *multi⁓lamellous in the upper part.
1876tr. Wagner's Gen. Pathol. 469 Thickening of the epithelial layer of some mucous membranes with *multilaminar pavement epithelium.
1890Century Dict., *Multilaminate.
1877Q. Jrnl. Microsc. Sci. XVII. 182 A *multilaminated coat.
1882Ogilvie, Multilineal, *multilinear, having many lines. 1886Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. XVIII. 61 The Theory of a Multilinear Partial Differential Operator... By P. A. MacMahon.
1817H. T. Colebrooke Algebra, etc. 227 Analysis by a *Multiliteral equation.
1895Funk's Stand. Dict., *Multilobar.
1831Macgillivray tr. Richard's Elem. Bot. 129 [Leaves are] *Multilobate; when the divisions are broader and separated by obtuse sinuses. 1896Allbutt's Syst. Med. I. 81 The cells with multilobate nucleus.
1856W. Clark van der Hoeven's Zool. I. 203 Rotatory organ *multilobed or parted. 1882–4Cooke Brit. Freshw. Algæ I. 202 Cells..bi-, tri-, or multi-lobed.
1874Van Buren Dis. Genit. Organs 170 It contains *multilobular mucous glands in its substance. 1905H. D. Rolleston Dis. Liver 176 Multilobular cirrhosis.
1902Webster's Dict. Suppl., *Multilobulate, Multilobulated, having many lobules.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 504 Longitudinal sections show them [viz. miliary patches] as *multilobulated masses.
1815W. Wood Gen. Conchol. p. lvii, All chambered shells are *multilocular. 1845Lindley Sch. Bot. i. (ed. 14) 16 If there are more cells than one it [sc. the pistil] is either bilocular, trilocular, multilocular, or otherwise. 1854Badham Halieut. 37 He divides and then subdivides it into partitions, almost as multilocular as a painter's box of colors. 1867J. Hogg Microsc. ii. ii. 376 The Polythalamia or Multilocular Rhizopods, in their earliest state are unilocular.
1890Century Dict., *Multiloculate.
1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 504 These morbid bodies..may eventually coalesce with similar bodies..to form large *multiloculated bodies.
1859Todd's Cycl. Anat. V. [134]/2 The germinal vesicle is..*multi-macular in the large-yolked ova.
1902Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. IX. 219, I fail to find any point whatever by which M[us] Hildegardeæ can be distinguished externally from the Machakos member of the *multimammate group. 1955New Biol. XIX. 108 House rodents such as the native multimammate mouse..and the black rat, which is replacing it, are the reservoirs [of plague in Central Africa] rather than fully rural species. 1959Nature 12 Sept. 794/2 The multimammate rat is a wild rodent which lives in close contact with man in Africa. 1974Ibid. 13 Sept. 101/3 Lassa virus was isolated from a single murine species, the multimammate rat Mastomys natalensis, which is a common commensal rodent in West Africa adapted to life both within houses and in the fields.
1944S. Brunauer Adsorption of Gases I. 6 When the surface can take up only one layer of the adsorbed gas, the adsorption is called uni⁓molecular; when more than one layer it is called *multi⁓molecular. 1969Science 12 Dec. 1365/3 Bacteria, viruses, or cells..often called antigens..really are multimolecular mixtures of polydeterminant antigens.
1856W. Clark van der Hoeven's Zool. I. 314 Hippobosca Latr.—Wings parallel, incumbent, obtuse, *multinervose.
1839Lindley Introd. Bot. i. ii. (ed. 3) 160 The *multinodal cyme offers no fixed rule in the spirals of its nodes.
1840Smart, *Multinodate, or Multinodous (many-knotted).
1727Bailey vol. II, *Multinodous, full of Knots.
1874Q. Jrnl. Microsc. Sci. XIV. 97 Greef regards Pelomyxa as a multicellular, or, rather, *multinuclear amœboid organism. 1882Vines tr. Sachs' Bot. 946 The multinuclear bast-fibres and laticiferous cells of various Phanerogams.
1877Huxley Anat. Inv. Anim. xii. 659 Unicellular organisms, which occasionally become multicellular, or at any rate *multinucleate, by the multiplication of the nucleus.
1873T. H. Green Introd. Pathol. (ed. 2) 211 A *Multinucleated Cell from a Grey Miliary Tubercle of the Lung in a case of Acute Tuberculosis.
1882Nature XXV. 523 The sixth internodal cell might be multinuclear, with *multinucleolar nuclei.
1849Balfour Man. Bot. §765 Ovary sessile, 3-lobed, 1-celled, *multiovular.
1856Mayne Expos. Lex., Multiovulatus, applied to the cells or compartments of the ovary when they contain a great many ovules: *multi⁓ovulate. 1881Linn. Soc. Jrnl., Bot. XVIII. 267 Ovary linear, multiovulate.
1831Macgillivray tr. Richard's Elem. Bot. 184 [The spikelet] may be..*multipaleaceous,..as in some species of Uniola.
1870Rolleston Anim. Life p. lxxxiv, The mouth is constituted by a *multiperforate branchial skeleton. 1928Funk's Stand. Dict., Multiperforated. 1957Jrnl. Brit. Interplanetary Soc. XVI. 207 It is for such reasons as these that the more complicated multiperforated charge..has been developed, which can have small propellent thickness between the perforations without reducing the loading density, and which has little unused propellent at the end of burning.
1875Bennett & Dyer tr. Sachs' Bot. 195 Whole systems of shoots frequently have the appearance of *multi⁓pinnate leaves.
1850Cayley Math. Papers (1889) I. 505 The developable which is the envelope of such a system [of n different planes] may be termed a ‘*multiplanar developable’.
1913O. C. Gruner Biol. Blood-Cells iv. 191 At certain times the wandering cell becomes stationary... In place of migration..it settles down as an essentially *multi⁓potential or indifferent cell. 1939Dible & Davie Path. viii. 152 If the germinal cells for a tumour be split off at this stage, only those tissues can be represented in the growth which are proper to the layer from which these cells have come. Such cells are multipotential but not totipotential. 1966Cancer XIX. 1/1 We have designated these types of tumors as primitive multipotential primary sarcomas of bone:..‘multipotential’ because each shows differentiation along multiple lines (i.e. bone, cartilage, blood vessels, etc.). 1973Nature 2 Mar. 20/2 The finding of multipotential haemopoietic stem cells (that is, cells capable of becoming any of the mature blood cell types, lymphoid or myeloid) in early mouse embryonic thymus.
1846Dana Zooph. vii. (1848) 113 Cells *multiradiate. 1878Bell tr. Gegenbaur's Comp. Anat. 105 The acicular structures, which are combined together in various ways to form multiradiate stars.
1840Smart, *Multiradiated.
1819Lindley tr. Richard's Obs. Fruits & Seeds 48 Some..botanists..have regarded such tubercles as so many radicles, and have attributed to these genera a *multiradicular embryo.
1878Bell tr. Gegenbaur's Comp. Anat. 272 [In the Hemiptera] the fore-gut, which is frequently *multisacculate.
1870H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. 289 The..*multisegmentate ‘cirri’ of the adult [Cirripede].
1881Athenæum 18 June 818/1 A central *multisegmented axis.
1857M. J. Berkeley Cryptog. Bot. §199 The filiform *multiseptate antheridia.
1838G. Johnston Brit. Zoophytes 287 Flustra Murrayana, cells *multiserial, ovate. 1872H. A. Nicholson Palæont. 325 In the Pycnodonts the teeth are multiserial.
1870Rolleston Anim. Life 71 The cells..are arranged *multiserially in parallel longitudinal rows.
1870Hooker Stud. Flora 187 Arctium..Pappus-hairs *multi-seriate. 1933Tropical Woods XXXVI. 10 Heterogeneous Ray.—A xylem ray composed of cells of different morphological types. (Typically, with the cells of the multiseriate part radially elongated.) 1965K. Esau Plant Anat. (ed. 2) vi. 138 A ray may be one cell wide and one cell high in the beginning; later, the initial divides or more initials are added to the first. The ray thus increases in height and may increase in width if multiseriate rays are characteristic of the plant. Ibid. xvii. 485 A well-known example of a multiseriate epidermis is the velamen of air roots of tropical Orchidaceae.
1686Phil. Trans. XVI. 287 The *Multisiliquose or corniculated Herbs, which after each Flower bear many Pods or horned Seed Vessels.
1706Phillips (ed. Kersey) s.v. Corniculate Plants, They are also termed *Multisiliquous.
1966Proc. 4th Symposium Remote Sensing Environment (Univ. Mich., U.S. Govt. AD 638–919) 135 Much additional information is needed before *multispectral photography and other remote sensors can be..incorporated into operational urban information centers. 1971New Scientist 27 Apr. 256/2 Placing the Earth under the most detailed observation with multispectral cameras. 1973L. F. Curtis in Cruise & Newman Photogr. Techniques Sci. Res. ii. 101 Photographic analysis of the data obtained in multispectral studies may include colour enhancement techniques which aim to emphasize the tonal differences between objects.
1887Bentley Man. Bot. (ed. 5) 334 The fruit or pericarp is..*multi⁓spermous.
1902Proc. Zool. Soc. 210 In one of the two specimens [of sponges] in the collection..there are a few *multispicular strands in the otherwise very regular unispicular meshwork.
1900Proc. Zool. Soc. 139 The meshes of the reticulum are *multispiculate.
1852Dana Crust. i. 538 Carapax *multispinous.
1839Sowerby Conch. Man. 66 *Multispiral, applied to a shell when the spire consists of numerous whorls; or to an operculum of numerous volutions. 1899Fortn. Rev. LXV. 122 Arrangements of multi⁓spiral springs [etc.].
1952W. R. Ashby Design for Brain xvii. 182 S. 9/4 showed the necessity for ultrastability; is the hypothesis of *multistability equally necessary? 1962A. Battersby Guide to Stock Control vii. 65 The effect of this sort of control by interconnected systems is called ‘multi⁓stability’ by cyberneticians.
1952W. R. Ashby Design for Brain xvi. 171 To study the interactions of these two properties we might start by examining the properties of an ultrastable system whose main variables are all part-functions. But it has been found simpler to start by considering a system defined thus: a *multistable system consists of many ultrastable systems joined main variable to main variable, all the main variables being part-functions. Ibid. xvii. 179 The concept of the ‘multistable’ system clearly refers primarily to the nervous system. 1966J. Singh Gt. Ideas Information Theory, Lang. & Cybernetics (1967) xiv. 221 Every animal is thus built up of a number of ultrastable subsystems organized with the possibility of dispersion of behavior. Such a multistable system can therefore adapt its behavior to settle in a stable resting state in a much shorter time than a single ultrastable system of the kind considered earlier.
1961Nature 11 Mar. 833/1 *Multi-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid as determined by X-irradiation. 1970New Scientist 17 Dec. 496/2 The antitumour effects of multistranded RNA which have been reported recently.
1842Brande Dict. Sci., etc., *Multi⁓striate.
1856Mayne Expos. Lex., Multisulcatus..*multi⁓sulcate.
1840Smart, *Multisulcated.
1846Dana Zooph. (1848) 698 Polyps *multitentaculate.
1883W. H. Flower in Encycl. Brit. XV. 376/1 Two small molars with low *multituberculated crowns.
1862Smiles Engineers III. 100 Without the steam-blast..the advantages of the *multitubular boiler (afterwards invented) could never have been fairly tested.
1874J. Geoghegan Silk in India 28 In 1866 experiments were tried..with so-called Japan bivoltine and *multivoltine seed. 1883G. Watt Econ. Prod. India iii. 66 The multi⁓voltine worms are confined chiefly to Bengal, where they produce three chief crops.
b. In general use (mostly nonce-words): as multi-authored, multi-barrelled, multi-bladed, multi-branched, multi-centred, multi-componential, multi-consonantal, multi-cored, multi-directional, multi-engined, multi-ethnic, multi-faced, multi-faceted, multi-geminal, multi-generational, multi-holed, multi-hued, multi-manned, multi-marbled, multi-pointed, multi-sectional, multi-sectioned, multi-secular, multi-segmental, multi-spired, multi-syllabic, multi-threaded, multi-toned, multi-tribal, multi-valued, multi-volumed; occas. with advb. force, as multi-ramified. multiˈfistular [L. fistula], consisting of many pipes. multiˈfluvian [L. fluvius], having many rivers flowing into it. multiˈfurcate, forked in many directions. multiˈmedial, coming through many media. multiˈmonstrous, consisting of many monstrosities. multiˈpersonal, comprising several personalities. ˈmultiplaned, having or occupying several planes (cf. multiplane n. and a.). multiˈsensual, of many meanings. multi-ˈtaped, recorded from several (magnetic) tapes played simultaneously. multiˈtitular, having many titles.
1964K. Winetrout in I. L. Horowitz New Sociol. 159 The Lonely Crowd is *multi-authored and Faces in the Crowd a research team product. 1974Nature 22 Feb. 581/1 It suffers from the usual disadvantage of a multi⁓authored book in which no editorial attempt has been made to avoid redundancies and overlap.
1944Horizon Oct. 225 ‘Moaning Minnies’ (*multi-barrelled mortars).
1897M. Kingsley W. Africa 455 The *multi-bladed, real throwing knives of some middle Congo tribes.
1862Temple Bar VI. 266 The lofty and *multi-branched genealogical tree.
1957K. A. Wittfogel Oriental Despotism iii. 50 In contrast to the controlled state of *multicentered societies, the state of the single-centered hydraulic society was a veritable apparatus state. 1973Sci. Amer. Apr. 90/2 Bruno's belief in a centerless or multicentered universe was derived from..Nicholas of Cusa.
1971Archivum Linguisticum II. 59 Cf. [make up] (sc. with cosmetics or greasepaint) (verb) and [make-up] (noun),..examples whose *multi⁓componential character as idioms is partly revealed by the difference of tonicity or accentuation corresponding to the grammatical distinction indicated. 1974Nature 7 June 571/2 The survival curve of HVS is multicomponential after treatment with heat as well as after treatment with formaldehyde.
1948D. Diringer Alphabet ii. 63 They did not employ it [sc. the alphabet] when they could use word-signs or *multi-consonantal phonograms. 1965Language XLI. 346 Such multiconsonantal clusters as /mb/ and /ngb/ are merely graphic and represent consonants that are phonemically unitary.
1974D. Kyle Raft of Swords ii. 14 Loop after loop of insulated *multi cored copper wire.
1942Illuminating Engin. Nomencl. & Photometric Stand. (Illuminating Engin. Soc. U.S.) (ASA Z7.1–1942) 27 *Multidirectional illumination on a surface is that produced by several separated light sources of relatively small area. It is characterized by the fact that a small opaque object placed near the illuminated surface casts several shadows. 1964Discovery Oct. 6/2 Control of a vast and complex multi-directional communications network. 1972Geo Abstr. C. 368 (heading) Problems of multi-directional development of automobile transport.
1917Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. XXI. 320 In the case of most single-engined aeroplanes or seaplanes a fuselage of circular cross-section is admirable... This is not so, however, in the case of *multi-engined aircraft, in which the power plant units are placed away from the body of the machine. 1931C. Day Lewis From Feathers to Iron 14 Bodies we have, fabric and frame designed To take the stress of love, Buoyant on gust, multi-engined. 1967Jane's Surface Skimmer Systems 1967–68 121/2 A drive pad at the rear of the primary box enables the engines of a multi-engined aircraft to be coupled together by spanwise shafting.
1967‘Malcolm X’ in A. Chapman New Black Voices (1972) We Afro-Americans..are not opposed to *multi-ethnic associations in any walk of life. 1969Alberta Hist. Rev. Autumn 10/2 Both were born in remote wilderness conditions and embraced multi-ethnic populations.
1821Southey Vis. Judgem. v. 70 Caitiffs, are ye dumb? cried the *multifaced Demon in anger. 1885E. Dannreuther in Grove Dict. Mus. IV. 366 This is the central question, the multifaced problem he set himself to solve.
1870Rolleston Anim. Life p. cxi, The larger *multifacetted eyes. 1892Pictorial World 2 Jan. 311/1 The multi-faceted mind of the German Aristophanes. 1965H. I. Ansoff Corporate Strategy (1968) i. 15 The nature of decisions is multifaceted and continually variable. 1971Computers & Humanities VI. 38 Paralleling this trend toward the multifaceted department articulating with almost all the traditional disciplines is the emergence of the divisional course.
1728North Mem. Music (1846) 51 The organon hydraulicon distinguisht the *multifistular engine.
1807J. Barlow Columb. i. 514 Thy capes, Virginia,..guard secure thy *multifluvian Bay.
1816Bentham Chrestom. Wks. 1843 VIII. 95 Why bifurcate rather than *multifurcate?
1922Joyce Ulysses 404 Recorded instances of *multigeminal..births.
1965New Society 1 Apr. 25/2 Subjects from *multi-generational households have better scores. 1972P. Laslett Household & Family in Past Time 7 A high proportion of multigenerational extended families among the remaining Dutch peasantry in the 1950s.
1953Lancet 12 Sept. 540/1 A *multi-holed catheter had been passed. 1963A. J. Hall Textile Sci. ii. 47 It is pumped at a uniform rate through multi-holed spinnerets into the coagulating bath.
1804Fessenden Orig. Poems (1806) 17 The flame cinctur'd, *multihu'd arch in the sky. 1927Daily Express 13 July 5/2 The hidden wiring of the multi-hued electric lights. 1971Sci. Amer. Oct. 43/1 (Advt.), ‘Philippine Birds’ contains 569 illustrations..portraying the multi⁓hued birds. 1973Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 1 July 2/1 Multihued confetti of clouds drifted across the sky.
1961Life 3 Mar. 33/1 The Russians will follow their manned orbiter..with a *multimanned moon orbiter..and space station. 1967Observer 5 Nov. 4/5 A multi-manned expedition around the moon and back to earth.
1902Hardy Poems of Past & Present 40 *Multimarbled Genova the Proud.
1802–12Bentham Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827) III. 438 For species..of *multimedial evidence, we have simple (composed either of multi-personal alone..or of transcriptural alone), and complex.
1647Ward Simp. Cobl. 21 Such a *multi-monstrous maufrey of heteroclytes and quicquidlibets.
1802–12*Multipersonal [see multimedial]. 1899C. F. d'Arcy Ideal. & Theol. iv. 153 Christianity teaches us to think of God as multipersonal unity.
1909Westm. Gaz. 23 Mar. 4/2 The *multi-planed helicopter has been abandoned for the biplane. 1959M. T. Williams Art of Jazz (1960) xii. 110 The nation's misery was mirrored in every facet of its multi-planed existence.
1902R. W. Chambers Maids of Paradise vi. 104 He was engaged in constructing a *multi-pointed paper star.
1816T. L. Peacock Headlong Hall i, Any of the last-named *multiramified families.
1961Y. Olsson On Syntax Eng. Verb ii. 33 A classification can be made of the sentences of the language..: I. *multi-sectional (consisting of two or more Sections).
1964Gloss. Letterpress Rotary Printing Terms (B.S.I.) 22 *Multi-sectioned newspapers or magazines.
1922Joyce Ulysses 655 The *multisecular stability of its primeval basin.
1901C. P. Steinmetz Theoret. Elem. Electr. Engin. 122 A closed coil armature, connected with a *multisegmental commutator. 1955Trans. Philol. Soc. 1954 68 We may..classify phonemic features by reference to the types of unit, of which they are constituents..; in this way we may establish a broad distinction between (a) ‘uni-segmental’ features, i.e. such as combine within single phonemes, and (b) ‘multi-segmental’ features, i.e. such as can only be extracted from more complex units (syllables, morphemes, words, constructions, or sentences).
1811–31Bentham Logic Wks. 1843 VIII. 249 *Multisensual, by reason of analogy.
1884Punch 20 Sept. 141 Vast, *multi-spired, thick-roof'd..is London.
1909Cent. Dict. Suppl., *Multisyllabic. 1953N. Tinbergen Herring Gull's World ii. 10 The most elaborate call of the Herring Gull's repertoire is the multisyllabic call. 1972F. Knebel Dark Horse (1973) xix. 294 He had long ago passed the point where he sought to impress bewildered laymen by scattering multisyllabic medical terms about.
1955L. Feather Encycl. Jazz vii. 245 The unique tonal effects obtained from these *multi-taped, multi-speed novelties sold many millions of Capitol records. 1962John o' London's 16 Aug. 162/4 Not all the tracks are multi-taped.
1844Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. VII. 236/1 ‘*Multi-threaded’..screws.
1864Webster, *Multi-titular.
1843Lytton Last Bar. ii. i, Blended with these *multitoned discords.
1949I. Deutscher Stalin iii. 69 The *multi⁓tribal cities of the Caucasus.
1934Mind XLIII. 200 Whatever is a proposition of the two-valued logic is recognized as a proposition within the *multi-valued ‘logic’ and vice versa. 1965N. Chomsky Aspects of Theory of Syntax iv. 171 Regarding each of the dimensions of the system of paradigms as a multivalued feature, [etc.].
1963Times Lit. Suppl. 10 May 348/4 *Multi-volumed books.
2. Prefixed to a n. either with adjectival sense = ‘multiple, manifold’, or with adverbial sense = ‘in many ways or directions’. ˌmultibillioˈnaire, one who is worth many billions of money. ˌmulticollineˈarity Statistics, the existence of a perfect linear correlation between a set of variables when the regression of some dependent variable on them is being investigated. ˈmulticycle, (a) a cycle having more than three wheels; (b) a cycle for two or more riders. multifœˈtation, pregnancy with (a) more than one fœtus, or (b) more than two fœtuses. multiloˈcation, location in many places at the same time. ˌmultimillioˈnaire, one who is worth many millions of money. multi-ˈnegative Printing, an array of many similar images in negative form used in the printing of small items several at a time by photolithography; similarly multi-ˈpositive. † multiroˈtation Chem. [a. G. multirotation (Parcus & Tollens 1890, in Ann. d. Chem. CCLVII. 161)] = mutarotation. multiˈspecialist, a specialist in many subjects. ˈmultisyllable, a polysyllable. † multiˈtheism, polytheism.
1906‘Mark Twain’ in North Amer. Rev. Sept. 322 There would not be any *multi-billionaire alive, perhaps, who would be able to buy a full set.
1934R. Frisch Statistical Confluence Analysis xi. 75 There exist two or more independent linear relations between the systematic parts of these variates, but..we are not aware of this *multicollinearity. 1972T. H. & R. J. Wonnacott Introd. Statistics for Business & Econ. xiii. 296 Suppose demand for a group of goods is being related to prices and income, with the overall price index being the first independent variable. Suppose aggregate income measured in money terms is the second independent variable. If this is real income multiplied by the same price index, the problem of multicollinearity may become a serious one. The solution is to use real income, rather than money income, as the second independent variable.
1887Longman's Mag. July 271 Composite or *multi⁓cycles, carrying two or more passengers. 1898Field 6 Aug. 275 This record stood until the 27th ult., when H. W. Payne, assisted by two multicycles as pacemakers, reduced this time to 1 min. 392/5 sec.
1857Dunglison Dict. Med., *Multi⁓fœtation. 1891Syd. Soc. Lex.
1865Pusey Truth Eng. Ch. 169 A *multilocation (i.e. a contemporaneous presence in different portions of space) of Mary, according to her flesh. 1893Month Apr. 483 The multi-location of one substance in separate parts of space.
1858O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. x. (1895) 250 The *multi-millionaires sent him a trifle, it was said, to buy another eye with. 1921Multi-millionaire [see Corona2]. 1972F. Knebel Dark Horse (1973) ix. 120 You got multi-millionaires who don't pay more than two or three per cent of their income in taxes.
1933N. Montague in W. Atkins Art & Pract. Printing III. xii. 95 *Multi-negatives have become an economic necessity in the case of printing by photo-lithography such things as stamps, coupons, playing cards, and small labels. 1933N. Montague in W. Atkins Art & Pract. Printing III. xii. 96 The ‘H.L.’ step and repeat projecting machine..is designed for the production of multi-negatives or positives. 1967E. Chambers Photolitho-Offset vi. 70 The automatic operation can be commenced at any part of the layout and an exposure made to any position on the multi-negative.
1971D. Potter Brit. Eliz. Stamps ii. 23 In the first stages of printing a *multipositive is prepared, from which the printing cylinders are made.
1904J. Wells J. H. Wilson xiv. 118 Dr. Wilson might fairly be called a *multi-specialist.
1890Jrnl. Chem. Soc. LVIII. 1084 The authors propose to employ the term ‘*multi-rotation’ to denote the change..of rotatory power which takes place in a sugar solution, from immediately after its preparation in the cold until constant rotation is attained. 1904J. W. Mellor Chem. Statics & Dynamics 224 The influence of acids upon the rate of multirotation of sugars. 1935Tipson & Stiller in Harrow & Sherwin Textbk. Biochem. ii. 43 In the course of time other sugars were examined, and it was found that the rotation is not necessarily halved, so the phenomenon was named multirotation.
1659[O. Walker] Instr. Art Oratory 38 A *multisyllable better answers a monosyllable precedent, than a monosyllable a multisyllable.
1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 585 For..Idolatry, and *Multitheism no People in the World ever went beyond them.
3. Prefixed to a n. forming a compound used attrib. with the force of a parasynthetic adj.; e.g. multicharge, (of a cannon) capable of containing several charges; multicoil, consisting of many coils. (Compounds of this type are occas. used predicatively, as in quot. 1947 for multifactor and quot. 1970 for multifont.) Typical examples include: multiaperture, multi-author, multi-band, multi-bed, multi-billion, multi-blade, multi-car, multi-centre, multi-class, multi-component, multi-cycle (cf. multicyclic in 1 a), multi-cylinder, multi-day, multi-element, multi-engine, multi-family, multi-floor, multi-image, multi-jet, multi-lane, multi-lens, multi-man, multi-megaton, multi-microphone, multi-million, multi-part, multi-pin, multi-plate, multi-reel, multi-role, multi-row, multi-screen, multi-seat, multi-step, multi-syllable, multi-track, multi-tube, multi-vane, multi-vitamin, multi-volume, multi-way, multi-word. Also multi-ˈaccess, pertaining to, involving, or being a computer that may be used simultaneously by independent operators at a number of terminals; multiˈchannel, employing or possessing many communication or television channels (channel n.1 9 d); also = multi-track above; multiˈcircuit, supplying or containing many electric circuits; ˈmulticore, having many cores; applied spec. to an electric cable (cf. core n.1 12); multi-eˈlectrode, possessing or involving several electrodes; applied spec. to a valve in which there are two or more sets of electrodes, associated with separate electron beams, within a single envelope; multiˈfactor = multifactorial in 1 a; multiˈfaculty, (of an institution of higher education) possessing several faculties; multiˈfilament, containing or composed of several filaments; applied spec. to a yarn made up of many fine threads; also absol., a multifilament yarn; ˈmultiflash, (a) Photogr. made with two or more flash-bulbs operated simultaneously; (b) applied to a process or apparatus for desalinating sea-water in several stages in which water is ‘flashed’, i.e. converted suddenly into steam, at successively lower pressures; ˈmultifont, pertaining to or possessing the ability (of a machine) to read characters of several different ‘fonts’ (founts) or designs; ˈmultifuel, capable of running on more than one kind of fuel; ˈmultigerm Agric., (of a sugar-beet variety or seed produced by it) having or consisting of more than one seed in each seed ball (cf. monogerm adj. s.v. mono- 1); ˈmultigrade (see quot. 1972); ˈmultipath Telecommunications, involving (the receipt of) radio signals that have travelled from a single source by several paths; ˈmultipoint, having or serving many points; applied spec. to a water-heater serving a number of hot-water taps; ˈmultistart Engin. (see quot. 1940); ˈmultiwall, having many walls; applied spec. to a sack or large bag made of several layers of strong paper that are usu. attached to one another along the bottom and the side folds.
1966Guardian 4 May 20/3 By the end of the seventies in Britain there will be more than 300,000 people interested in *multi-access computers. 1967Economist 4 Mar. 850/3 This will mean hierarchies of powerful and less powerful multi-access computers linked throughout the country with hundreds of terminals and consoles connected to them from commerce, industry and research establishments. 1968Times 1 Nov. 23/5 Multi-access computing needs data-links between users and computers. 1971R. A. Wisbey Computer in Lit. & Ling. Res. 191 The Atlas multi-access system makes it possible to create and manipulate files of information from remote consoles and to use these files for the initiation of jobs on the Atlas computer.
1966Electronics 14 Nov. 25 Honeywell spokesmen will not disclose details of the new design, beyond saying that it used conventional ferrite cores with one hole, not *multiaperture cores. 1968New Scientist 15 Feb. 360/2 The elements, called MADs (multiaperture devices), are specially shaped ferrite discs..which act as very fast switches.
1973Nature 9 Feb. 412/1 As is inevitable in any such *multi-author work, the individual chapters vary considerably in scope.
1969Sci. Jrnl. June 64 Vertical aerial view of part of the Carrizo Plains, California, at near right was taken using ordinary Ektachrome film and reveals little trace of the phenomena rendered starkly visible in the enhanced *multiband photograph at far right. 1971Flying Apr. 90/1 About our portable multi-band radio.
1964G. L. Cohen What's Wrong with Hospitals? i. 24 To the archetypal American patient of the medical magazines, there is no disgrace in entering a ‘*multi-bed ward’.
1963Observer 31 Mar. 27/3 A background of *multi-billion defence spending. 1971New Scientist 28 Jan. 184 What would be the practical and scientific benefits of a multibillion dollar space station?
1910Westm. Gaz. 24 Mar. 5/2 This is the Pitter *multi⁓blade propellor, which..is claimed to give an enormous thrust at low speeds. 1960Farmer & Stockbreeder 1 Mar. 70 The multi-blade fan located in front of the engine has an output of up to 40,000 cu ft per min.
1962Economist 11 Aug. 526/1 The proportion of *multi-car families is continuing to rise.
1965Phillips & Williams Inorg. Chem. I. xi. 403 Metals and metal-like hydrides are similarly electron-deficient... The electrons are thought to be in molecular orbitals embracing all the atoms in the structure, i.e. *multi-centre rather than two-centre orbitals.
1930Engineering 31 Oct. 541/2 It is still the only *multi⁓channel radio-telephone service in the world. 1955Ann. Reg. 1954 402 There were on exhibition at the radio show..many television receivers designed for two-band or multi-channel reception. 1962Science Survey III. 315 Indeed one can conceive of such a system in which a multi-channel magnetic tape carries the programme of the plant. 1966Punch 20 July 101/2 The United States, where of course there's multi-channel TV operating more or less round the clock.
1883Standard 21 Sept. 5/3 Haskell's accelerating *multi⁓charge cannon.
a1894C. Rossetti Divers Worlds, The Earth shall tremble iii, The *multichord Thrilled harp of heaven.
1909Cent. Dict. Suppl., *Multicircuit, having a multiple circuit... Multicircuit generator, an electric generator, as for the supplying of arc-lights, which is connected with and feeds several parallel circuits. 1969Jane's Freight Containers 1968–69 536/2 An a.c. drive motor with single and multi-circuit generators built as one unit. 1970Sci. Amer. Feb. 28/2 One obstacle..was that a multicircuit chip would have to incorporate logic gates of several different types and all would have to function perfectly.
1961Guardian 16 June 6/5 The rise of the anonymous, *multi-class mass audience.
1877Elem. Lect. Electricity 19 *Multi⁓coil Galvanometer. This is a galvanometer with three distinct coils of wire.
1934Webster, Multicomponent. 1966D. G. Brandon Mod. Techniques Metallogr. iii. 125 Identifying the elements in a *multicomponent sample. 1971C. Placek (title) Multi⁓component fibers.
1908Westm. Gaz. 6 Feb. 4/2 The high⁓tension wires are moulded in one, forming a *multicore cable. 1957Railway Mag. Nov. 760/2 A prototype length of special ‘thin’-type multi-core cable was used for certain indication circuits. 1961New Left Rev. Jan.–Feb. 8/1 A multi-core city is gradually taking shape.
1903Public Opinion 8 Oct. 471/1 The *multi-course dinner.
1916C. A. Cotton in Geogr. Rev. I. 39 The diagrams..represent stages in the growth of a composite (i.e., two-cycle or *multi-cycle) delta. 1918― in Ibid. VI. 320 In a previously published article the writer called attention to the occurrence of multicycle fault coasts. 1962Gloss. Terms Automatic Data Processing (B.S.I.) 91 Multi-cycle feeding, a method of processing punched cards in which several fields of a single card are read sequentially on successive machine cycles... The principal use is as a card-saving stratagem when printing names and addresses. 1966J. C. Pugh in G. H. Dury Ess. Geomorphol. 127 Multi-cycle bornhardts can also be found in the form of dome-on-dome residuals.
1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., *Multi-cylinder Engine, a steam engine with a plurality of cylinders. 1904Sci. Abstr. VII. 1080 (heading) Multi⁓cylinder motors. 1909Westm. Gaz. 10 June 4/2 Of the twenty-five pretty little machines which will career round the twenty-three-mile circuit.., no fewer than seventeen are fitted with four-cylinder engines, which shows..the progress that has been made in the multi-cylinder car. 1969Jane's Freight Containers 1968–69 495/3 Insulated flexi-van multi-cylinder high pressure gas holder. 1973Nature 23 Mar. 217/1 By use [in their motor cycles] of multi-cylinder engines, overhead camshafts and such devices as electric starting motors, they have been able to sell products which are in many ways superior to those of British manufacturers.
1971Canad. Antiques Collector May 10/1 These field studies extend up to a week with the *multi-day visitors accommodated economically in camps, lodges, schools and private homes. 1973C. Bonington Next Horizon v. 85 He was not interested in the multi-day epic, or the highly technical rock-climb.
1926Wireless World 26 May 722/1 (heading) The *multi-electrode valve. 1963Multi-electrode [see Dekatron]. 1965Math. in Biol. & Med. (Med. Res. Council) iv. 139 Is it possible to recognize automatically particular waveforms in a single channel of a multi-electrode recording [of an electro⁓encephalogram]?
1961Y. Olsson On Syntax Eng. Verb iv. 85 The ‘genitive’ is a *multi-element term for PRE. 1970New Scientist 24 Dec. 554/2 The Marconi Company..developed a high-gain multi-element vhf aerial.
1934Webster, Multiengine. 1961Economist 25 Nov. 830/2 Rolls-Royce immediately started hawking its competing *multi-engine system round the international market.
1934R. Frisch Statistical Confluence Analysis vii. 49 We get the special hypotheses regarding the correlation co⁓efficients on which Spearman's two factor and Thurstone's *multifactor theory are built. 1947F. A. E. Crew Genetics Rel. Clin. Med. v. 84 There is the possibility that certain abnormal characterisations are themselves multifactor in nature. 1966A. Battersby Math. in Managem. iii. 68 The bonus is to be paid at the rate of one shilling for each ton of production in excess of 160... The manager..undertakes [in addition] to apply a penalty of 10 shillings for a fall of 1 point in the yield, and a corresponding bonus for an increase. Such a scheme is called a ‘multi⁓factor incentive’.
1961Technology Feb. 36/4 The C.A.T.s..should become *multi-faculty institutions with the proportion of science and social studies increased. 1968Economist 13 Apr. 42/1 The schools are to be reduced by amalgamation from twelve to six, and each is to be closely associated with a multi-faculty institution of the University of London.
1965G. McInnes Road to Gundagai xiv. 249 The enormous *multi-family picnics that took place. 1972Real Estate Rev. Winter 73/2 The Federal Housing Administration then began requiring its field offices to report on the number of minorities occupying federally assisted multifamily housing.
1937W. Watson Textile Design & Colour (ed. 4) 437 The diameter of each orifice is about 0·1 mm. for ordinary yarns, and may be as small as 0·06 mm. for fine denier *multi-filament yarns. 1940Chambers's Techn. Dict. 562/2 Multi-filament lamp, an electric filament lamp having more than one filament in the same bulb, so that failure of one filament will not cause the lamp to be extinguished. 1944Textile Manufacturer July 306/1 We made 150/150 yarn of that type but the multifilaments could not compensate for the inherent harsh character of hosiery made from it. 1968E. Miller Textiles 70 Multifilament yarns give more flexibility and cover, the finer and more numerous the filaments are in the yarn the better it is in this respect.
1945Webster Add., *Multiflash. 1956Nature 21 Jan. 109/2 (caption) Multiflash photographs..of a typical water⁓entry trajectory. 1964Listener 21 May 835/1 The new ‘multi-flash’ distillation process was first realized in this country, and more than two-thirds of all the installations in the world are British. 1971Chem. Abstr. 17 May 195/2 Multiflash evapn. for concg. solns., and producing fresh water.
1938Archit. Rev. LXXXIII. 118/2 A *multifloor scheme was devised which, besides allowing high economy of site area, gave other advantages of even greater moment. 1960News Chron. 7 Oct. 8/5 Multi-floor garages.
1838Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 121/1 the *multiflue boiler of Mr. Booth.
1961Proc. IRE XLIX. 185/2 Extensions of the notions described will result in improved *multifont recognition and in gains toward the isolation of the character separation problem. 1969Computers & Humanities IV. 83 Of all devices for speeding the preparation of text for machines, none has been awaited..with more confidence than some sort of fast, multifont, full page scanner, more appropriately called an optical character recognition (ocr) machine. 1970Ibid. V. 75 The Scan-Data 300 is genuinely multifont.
1959Engineering 9 Jan. 45/1 (heading) *Multi-fuel engines. 1965Economist 22 May 941/2 The Wankel could come in here, with possibly only marginal disadvantages over available multi-fuel engines.
1778W. H. Marshall Minutes Agric. 11 Sept. an. 1774 It [sc. an implement] is *multifurrow—the number may be increased or decreased at pleasure. 1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., Multi⁓furrow Plow, one having several bodies for plowing two or more furrows at once.
1950Proc. Amer. Soc. Sugar Beet Technologists VI. 160 (heading) Embryology of mono- and *multigerm fruits in the genus Beta L. 1962Times 21 May 18/5 The monogerm seed which is still being bred and selected to take the place of the multi-germ seed now used.
1959Motor Manual (ed. 36) x. 237 The ‘*multi-grade’ engine oils now available..cover a range of ratings. 1972Materials & Technol. IV. ii. 68 Modern motor oils with good viscosity/temperature characteristics may meet the requirements of several SAE [sc. Society of Automotive Engineers] grades and are termed multigrade oils (e.g. 10W/30). 1974Drive Autumn 56 Fast-moving engine parts ‘snip up’ ordinary multigrade oils like scissors.
1864Daily Tel. 11 Apr. 3/2 The *multigroove rifling.
1962Punch 17 Jan. 133/3 Technicians..explain..what you can and cannot do with a *multi-image lens [in television]. 1969Focal Encycl. Film & Television Techniques 472/2 Multi-image films make use of expanding and diminishing pictures.
1963Daily Tel. 21 Nov. 16 The experimental application of *multi-jet techniques for lifting transport aircraft vertically. 1966McGraw-Hill Yearbk. Sci. & Technol. 411/2 The multi-jet configuration permits higher speeds..than single-jet turbines. 1974Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XVIII. 637/1 The large transport aircraft, now almost exclusively of multijet design.
1961Times 12 Dec. 14/3 A conservative British driver might envisage a *multi-lane nightmare in a wonderland of flyovers and freeways. 1966Times 28 Feb. (Canada Suppl.) p. viii/5 Vancouver's west end, looking northwards over the multi-lane bridge.
1936Discovery Aug. 237/1 This unique camera..is intended for mapping from a higher altitude than has ever before been practical with *multi-lens equipment. 1948E. Raisz Gen. Cartogr. (ed. 2) xix. 194/1 The largest multilens camera is the nine-lens camera of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.
1951J. M. Fraser Psychol. xv. 189 Wherever a number of people are involved in one task at the same time, a *multi-man chart can be used to record the task of each individual. 1967Multi-man [see ejection 1 d].
1958J. Blish Case of Conscience i. vi. 58 The prettiest *multimegaton explosion you ever saw. 1965H. Kahn On Escalation x. 198 Multimegaton weapons appeared to be unusable for any rational, and even for many irrational, purposes.
1941B.B.C. Gloss. Broadcasting Terms 19 *Multi-microphone technique, method of production in which several microphones, with outputs centralized in a mixer, are used either simultaneously or in succession to reproduce sounds from a single studio or hall. 1957Manvell & Huntley Technique Film Music iv. 194 In England some years ago it was fashionable to use a multi⁓microphone technique, in which..considerable physical separation between different sections of the orchestra was necessary to enable each microphone to record only that section which it was intended to cover. 1962A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio iii. 61 If a close balance is adopted in a multi-microphone mix, artificial ‘echo’ may be added.
1948Amer. Jrnl. Roentgenology LIX. 771/2 *Multimillion volt beta rays and multimillion volt roentgen rays in the treatment of cancer. 1966Times 28 Feb. (Canada Suppl.) p. ix/4 It is a multi-million dollar operation. 1974Listener 23 May 652/2 Multi-million pound shopping precincts.
1928Daily Express 4 May 2/3 The powers given under the Electricity Supply Act of 1926 ‘to introduce what are known as *multi-part tariffs, whereby a consumer, who is willing to use energy for a number of purposes, may pay a fixed charge yearly and then pay a low running charge per unit’.
1895Century Mag. Aug. 635/1 *Multi-partizan government leads inevitably to greater and more diversified partizanship.
1936Proc. IRE XXIV. 912 It is..extreme high order harmonic distortion which makes the reception of frequency modulation over a *multipath medium far more distorted than the reception of amplitude modulation over the same medium. 1966Electronics 3 Oct. 174 There are three vhf propagation problems that must be considered in designing the Aerocom satellite: fading caused by Faraday rotation, ionospheric fluctuation and sea-water multipath fades. 1970J. Earl Tuners & Amplifiers iii. 75 Multipath interference can severely disturb stereo reception.
1963Thorn Electr. Industr. Group Profile 16 *Multi-pin electrical connectors. 1964R. F. Ficchi Electr. Interference v. 72 The package units are less reliable than the individual units. The dependence of [read on] multi-pin connectors which have a relatively high failure rate is the cause.
1948Motor Manual (ed. 33) vii. 121 The *multi-plate clutch, in which two sets of metal discs were arranged alternately in sandwich fashion. One set was attached to the driving shaft, and the other..to the driven shaft. When a spring was permitted to force them all tightly together, they gripped firmly; but when the spring was restrained by the driver, one set of discs could slip round without turning the others. Ibid. 135 For top gear,..there is a separate clutch (sometimes of the multi-plate type) inside the gearbox. 1963Bird & Hutton-Stott Veteran Motor Car 253 Transmission: Multiplate clutch, 4 speeds and reverse, shaft. 1971Engineering Apr. 49 (caption) This picture shows the multiplate construction of the differential capacitor probe fitted to the gauging head.
1905Trans. Amer. Inst. Electr. Engin. XXIII. 209 It seems as though the latter class of advantages might be obtained as readily and more simply and cheaply by the use of *multi⁓point control-switches, used in parallel with the ordinary ones. 1931Conc. Househ. Encycl. 531/2 (caption) Automatic water heater for multi-point service. 1956Bk. Good Housek. (Good Housek. Inst.) (new ed.) ix. 96/1 Multi-point heaters are now available to fit under a draining-board. 1964M. Laski in S. Nowell-Smith Edwardian England iv. 160 The bathroom [was] served by..a multi-point pressure heater (the first..came on the market in 1899). 1971B. Scharf Engin. & its Lang. x. 82 The cutting tools used on machine tools may be conveniently classified as single-point and multi-point tools.
1929Encycl. Brit. XV. 856/2 Multireel pictures began to appear in 1909... A year later screen history was made by releasing *multireel pictures in their full length.
1881Nature XXV. 198 Our *multireflex arrangement for creating greater sensitiveness.
1970Times 4 Sept. (Aviation Suppl.) p. iii/1 They include..the RB 199 turbofan for the Anglo-German MRCA-75 *multi-role combat aircraft.
1958Chambers's Techn. Dict. 996/1 *Multi-row radial engine, a radial aero-engine with two or more rows of cylinders. 1971Power Farming Mar. 11/1 For beans, Herbert had come up with a multi-row harvester which not only reduced the time in the field, but caused less damage.
1967Economist 21 Oct. 267/1 A film in the very latest *multiscreen technique extolled the opportunities for everyone in this blossoming province. 1973Times 5 Oct. 25/2 The highlight is the multiscreen show—consisting of what the layman would describe as a cinema screen divided into six parts with different but related films showing on each at the same time.
1958Times 11 Nov. 8/1 The electoral system chosen for Algeria is that of the *multi-seat constituency. 1967Jane's Surface Skimmer Systems 1967–68 112/1 Then work began on the Yard's first multi-seat passenger craft.
1778W. H. Marshall Minutes Agric. 8 Jan. an. 1776 A *multi-soil Farm.
1884Cyclist 13 Feb. 252/1 A new *multispeed gearing.
1940Chambers's Techn. Dict. 564/1 *Multi-start worm, a worm in which two or more helical threads are used in order to obtain a larger pitch and hence a higher velocity ratio of the drive. 1971B. Scharf Engin. & its Lang. xii. 158 With single-start worms, lead equals pitch, but on multi-start worms, it amounts to pitch × number of starts (i.e. number of thread sections in a plane at right angles to the axis).
1961G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. xi. 182 If the labeled compound is the end product of a *multistep synthesis, in order to obtain a higher final yield, it is best to achieve the labeling at as late a point in the synthesis as possible. 1964English Studies XLV. 383 The difference between a normal one-step process and..the multi-step process..is so great that [etc.].
1964Language XL. 176 *Multisyllable words where a syllabic split in the written word occurs in the sequence vowel–consonant–consonant–vowel.
1958J. Moir High Quality Sound Reproduction xviii. 545 The film standards used were those previously adopted for *multi-track recording in the studios. 1959W. S. Sharps Dict. Cinematogr. 113/1 Multitrack recording system, the system employed for the recording of a multiple sound track. 1969Time 29 Aug. 47 Recording studios also offer new technical means of composing, through such devices as the echo chamber, multi-track recording and tape superimposition.
1935Discovery Feb. 43/2 The *multi-tube parachute rocket used for the Harz Mountain experiments. 1959Times 23 Sept. 4 (Advt.), The Oldham Pg battery is unique in possessing a patented double-sleeve multi-tube positive plate.
1909Cent. Dict. Suppl., *Multivane. 1963R. R. A. Higham Handbk. Papermaking ii. 25 Situated in the trough [of the hydrapulper] is a multivane rotor, driven by a vertical shaft.
1942Endeavour I. 32/1 On the matter of *multivitamin treatment, there are different schools of thought. Ibid. 32/2 No multivitamin ‘pill’..can at present replace a mixed all-round diet. 1960Women's Own 19 Mar. 25/3 A course of multi-vitamin tablets are a wise investment. 1968M. Pyke Food & Society ii. 17 But it is different when a manufacturer advertises that..expensive multivitamin tablets protect the well-fed people who can afford them against deficiency diseases they will never experience.
1938L. M. Harrod Librarians' Gloss. 104 *Multi-volume book, a book in more than one volume. 1962Y. Malkiel in Householder & Saporta Probl. Lexicogr. 15 Multi⁓volume encyclopedias shot through..with genuinely lexical entries.
1940Dict. Paper (Amer. Paper & Pulp Assoc.) 234 *Multiwall-bag paper, normally, a 40- or 50-pound..kraft paper. 1946Nature 6 July 32/1 A review of literature on the acoustics of building, preparatory to carrying out experimental work with particular reference to multiwall units. 1955Times 5 July (Paper Suppl.) p. iii/5 In little more than twenty-five years the development of the multi-wall paper sack..has established new standards of efficiency, convenience and cleanliness in the packaging of powdered and granular products. 1967Times Rev. Industry May 82/1 As cement production grew, so did the use of multiwall sacks. 1974Columbia (S. Carolina) Record 25 Apr. 9-D/1 The paper in question is used in multiwall bags, common in grocery stores.
1961B.S.I. News Aug. 16/2 It was agreed that *multi-way adapters would not be permitted. 1967Gloss. Terms Materials Handling (B.S.I.) iii. 10 Multi-way valve, a rotatable chamber having a central inlet, and one outlet which can be positioned in line with any one of several radially spaced conveying lines.
1961R. B. Long Sentence & its Parts i. 15 Many kinds of words and *multi⁓word units function as adjuncts. 1966G. N. Leech Eng. in Advertising ii. 22 Idioms are treated as multi-word lexical items.
Add:[1.] [b.] multidoˈmestic a. Business, (of a company) having subsidiaries which operate independently in the markets of the countries where they are based (applied also to the operations of such a company); also ellipt. as n., a multidomestic company.
1982Harvard Business Rev. Sept.–Oct. 98/2 An international company may need to change from a *multidomestic competitor, which allows individual subsidiaries to operate independently in different domestic markets, to a global organization. 1985Ibid. July–Aug. 139/3 While Caterpillar views its battle with Komatsu in global terms, CPC International and Unilever may safely consider their foreign operations multidomestic. 1989Business Rev. Weekly 24 Nov. 67/3 The value added to our economy by the Australian multidomestics is unclear. 1991Forbes (N.Y.) 2 Sept. 49/2 Barnevik has developed a highly decentralized corporate structure, which he calls a ‘multidomestic corporation’. The idea is for each national subsidiary of abb to act as a domestic company.
[2.] multicropping n. Agric., the practice of raising several crops in one year on the same ground.
1969Progress Rep. P (Oklahoma Agric. Exper. Station) No. 620. 58 Weed control may be a problem in double or *multicropping systems. 1980Christian Science Monitor (Midwestern ed.) 4 Dec. b 7/2 The Taiwanese were among the early pioneers of multi-cropping, getting as many as five crops of rice and vegetables per year on the same ground. 1989Wilson & Ferris Encycl. Southern Culture 533/1 The use of multicropping techniques in house gardens, and the preference for small separated fields in the Upland and Gulf Coastal southern areas.
multi-instrumentalist n., one who can play many different musical instruments.
1969Listener 3 Apr. 470/3 At the Ronnie Scott Club..we have just had the *multi-instrumentalist and improvising genius, Roland Kirk. 1977Rolling Stone 7 Apr. 32/3 Three members of that entourage—Burnett, guitarist Steven Soles and multiinstrumentalist David Mansfield,..—decided to carry on the revue's impromptu spirit. 1989C. S. Murray Crosstown Traffic vii. 174 He was a gifted multi-instrumentalist who could handle himself on guitar, drums, keyboards, bass and harmonica with equal facility.
[3.] multi-employer a.
1955M. Reifer Dict. New Words, *Multi-employer bargaining, collective bargaining in which more than one employer participate [sic] as distinct from single-employer bargaining. 1974Encycl. Brit. Micropaedia VII. 856/2 In [pension] plans known as multi-employer plans, various employers contribute to one central trust fund. 1985R. Bean Compar. Industrial Relations iv. 79 Industry-wide and multi-employer agreements. 1991Business Week 12 Aug. 52/1 Companies that participate in multi-employer welfare arrangements, or MEWAs,..self-insure by depositing premiums in a reserve fund overseen by the administrators.
multi-event a.
1968New England Jrnl. Med. 8 Feb. 309/2 The survival curves [postulated for irradiated cells] always show an initial shoulder... ‘*Multievent’ theories, such as the multihit single-target or the multitarget single-hit models, were formulated to explain the observations in such complex systems. 1979Washington Post 10 June g6/5 The Spartakiad is the focal point for multievent competition. 1992Time 6 July 34/2 (Advt.), Multi-event national championships.
multi-faith a. (faith n. 4 a).
1969Learning for Living Jan. 31/2 All the pupils..learn to live together in a *multi-faith community. 1978–9Brit. Jrnl. Religious Educ. I. 83/2 A multi-faith area can draw on the marriage rituals of all religions in that area. 1989Independent 4 May 19/3, 75 per cent of Muslim girls questioned were eager to be educated in multi-faith, multi-racial schools.
multi-gun a.
1935Discovery Nov. 326/2 Large *multi-gun sets for painting factories, bridges, etc. 1936Aeroplane 1 July 21/2 The interesting points are the invisibility of the numerous guns carried by the multi-gun fighters, [etc.]. 1977Time 20 June 14/1 Batteries of cannon fired multigun salutes.
multi-kilo a.
1975Chicago Sun-Times 2 Mar. 24/1 The..policy of pursuing ‘big-time, *multi-kilo narcotics traffickers’. 1989New Scientist 17 June 23/1 (Advt.), We are currently producing multikilo quantities of ultra pure phospholipids.
multi-fibre a., pertaining to or consisting of numerous or diverse fibres; esp. Multi-fibre Arrangement, an international agreement regulating exports of clothing and textiles.
1973Times 10 Dec. 22/1 A *multi-fibre agreement to replace the existing Gatt long-term arrangement on cotton textiles will be concluded within the next 10 days. 1977Arab Times 7 Dec. 6/5 The ‘multifibre’ agreement negotiated in 1973, governs international commerce in cotton, woollen, synthetic and artificial fibre textiles and clothing. 1986I. Jacobs in T. C. Bartee Digital Communications i. 12 There are a large variety of cable structures, ranging from simple jacketed single-fiber cables to multifiber cables. 1987F. & T. Thompson Synthetic Dyeing 110 Many commercial yarns are available in multifibre combinations mixed either as a chopped and blended staple, or as individual piles. 1989Independent 12 Dec. 21/3 There has been no relaxation in restrictions on textiles trade, mostly governed by the Multi-Fibre Arrangement. 1995Economist 18 Feb. 81/1 One of the first agreements under the auspices of the new World Trade Organisation is to unravel, over ten years, the infamous Multi-Fibre Arrangement, which has limited the import of textiles and clothing from low-wage countries such as China to the rich world. |