multiple

Etymology

From French multiple, itself from Late Latin multiplus.

adj

1. More than one (followed by plural).
   My Swiss Army knife has multiple blades.
   Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale. 2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist
2. Having more than one element, part, component, or function, having more than one instance, occurring more than once, usually contrary to expectations (can be followed by a singular).
   Some states do explicitly prohibit multiple citizenship.
   It was a multiple pregnancy: the woman had triplets.
   Multiple registrations are an increasing problem for many social networking sites.
   Now, let's briefly explore two different approaches for creating sites for a multiple audience: multiserving and responsive design. 2012, Dino Esposito, Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise

noun

1. (mathematics) A whole number that can be divided by another number with no remainder.
   14, 21 and 70 are multiples of 7
2. (finance) Price-earnings ratio.
3. One of a set of the same thing; a duplicate.
   One might view this attempt to ensure the scarcity of a multiple as both a marketing ploy and form of elitism. 1996, Southeastern College Art Conference Review
4. A single individual who has multiple personalities.
   I had seen its first show when it was a freebie, but I thought it made multiples in general look silly – no one changes clothes THAT much! 2010, Ann M. Garvey, Ann's Multiple World of Personality: Regular No Cream, No Sugar
   Non-abused multiples have no need of doctors, and they have carved out a foothold of their own from where they speak confidently about their utopian vision of a multiple world. 2000, Henk Driessen, Ton Otto, Perplexities of identification, page 115
5. One of a set of siblings produced by a multiple birth.
6. A chain store.
   The big advantage such multiples can offer over a purely catalogue operation is that winners can be given shopping vouchers enabling them to choose from goods on display in the multiples' many outlets (Woolworths, for example, has 1,000). 1979, Management Today, page 96
7. A discovery resulting from the work of many people throughout history, not merely the work of the person who makes the final connection.
   Merton's argument that all scientific discoveries are multiples would seem to contradict the theory of genius […] 2016, Thomas Söderqvist, The History and Poetics of Scientific Biography, page 99
8. More than one piercing in a single ear.
   First of all, the 'greenhorn' stigma of piercing has worn off. The older woman sees her daughter wearing multiples. So she's confident enough to have her ears pierced at least once. 1976, Jewelers' Circular/Keystone, volume 147, numbers 1-6, page 40