multi-, mult-

(Latin: much, many; combining form of Latin multus "much, many"; which is related to the Greek mala, "very, very much, exceedingly")

multiple personality, multiple personalities
A rare dissociative disorder in which an individual develops two or more separate and distinct personalities; each personality is independent of the other(s) and dominant at different times, and the original personality often has no knowledge of the others or any memory of their experiences.
multiple sclerosis (MS) (s) (noun), multiple scleroses (pl)
1. The hardening and thickening of body tissue occurring in patches in the brain or spinal cord, or both: Multiple sclerosis can cause symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling, to paralysis and incontinence. It is also characterized by tremors, failure of coordination, and various nervous and mental symptoms.
2. A chronic illness caused by lesions in the white matter of the central nervous system that degenerate the myelin sheath (insulating layer surrounding vertebrate peripheral neurons), marked by a lack of muscle coordination, muscle weakness, speech problems, and abnormal neurological sensations which include: numbness, tingling, burning, prickling, and hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity), and visual impairments.

The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, but it is believed to be an autoimmune disorder, in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues as if they were foreign or not supposed to be there.

The symptoms of multiple scleroses vary, depending on which nerves of the brain and spinal cord lose their protective covers.

multiple series, parallel series
The connecting of two or more series of circuits in parallel.
multiple star system
A gravitationally bound group of two or more stars that orbit a common center of mass.
multiple target generator
In radar countermeasures, a device that produces multiple false targets on enemy radar.
multiple tropopause
An effect in which the boundary of the troposphere and stratosphere appears as several overlapping discontinuities instead of as a single one.
multiple-completion well
A well equipped to produce oil or gas separately from more than one reservoir.
multiplex
1. A large movie theater complex that has several separate units with screens.
2. The simultaneous transmission of two or more signals along one communications channel.
3. A description of a communications system that can send several messages (signals) over one transmission path at the same time.

In cartography, it refers to a device that projects aerial photographs onto a surface in three dimensions; used to produce topographic maps.

multiplexer
An electronic device that allows a reader to have more than one antenna.

Each antenna scans the field in a preset order. This reduces the number of readers needed to cover a given area; such as, a dock door, and prevents the antennas from interfering with one another.

multiplexor
A device that supports multiple readers by checking each one in accordance with a scheduling scheme.
multiplicand
A number that is multiplied by another number (the multiplier).
multiplication
1. A mathematical operation, symbolized by "x", that for integers is equivalent to adding a number to itself a particular number of times: "Three times (x) three equals nine (3 x 3= 9)."
2. A mathematical operation equivalent to multiplication extended to expressions; such as, functions or matrices that are not numbers.
3. A marked increase in number or amount: "There was a multiplication of claims made by people who lost their homes as a result of the hurricane."
4. The act or process of reproduction in animals, plants, people, etc.
multiplicative
1. Tending to multiply or capable of multiplying or increasing.
2. Having to do with multiplication.
multiplicitas
A developmental defect characterized by supernumerary body organs or parts.
multiplicity
1. A considerable number or variety.
2. The state of being multiple or varied.

Inter-related cross references, directly or indirectly, involving word units meaning "more, plentiful, fullness, excessive, over flowing": copi-; exuber-; hyper-; opulen-; ple-; pleio-; plethor-; poly-; super-; total-; ultra-; undu-.