Etymograph

English

multitude

Multitude comes from Middle English multitude.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500multitude1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1599multitude1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English multitude
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, Exodus 23:2: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500multitudeWiktionary, English multitude
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1599multitudeWiktionary, English multitude. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, Exodus 23:2: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil”

Formed from multi- + -itude

Latin multus ‘much’

Latin multī

English multi-

The story

The English word is analysable as multi- + -itude.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

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

mole, amelia, dulcimer, 29 more

through Latin multus ‘much, many’

mucho, muy, multifarious, 10 more

Today it means

noun A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “multitude”. 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 / Middle English multitude / multitude

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