Etymograph

English

multi-

Multi- comes from Latin multus ‘much’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmultus1‘much’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmultī1
  3. Englishtodaymulti-1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English multi-

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmultusWiktionary, English multi-‘much’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEmultīWiktionary, English multi-
  3. Englishtodaymulti-Wiktionary, English multi-

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mel- ‘good, big’

mole, amelia, dulcimer, 31 more

through Latin multus ‘much’

mucho, muy, 12 more

Today it means

prefix More than one; pertaining to more than one thing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “multi-”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin multus / multi-