Multiplexors

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Devices or components in electronic circuits that select one of several input signals and forward the chosen input into a single line ; equipment facilitating simultaneous transmission of multiple signals over a single channel or medium ; elements used in communication systems to combine multiple data streams for efficient processing and routing
2. Apparatus in telecommunications or digital systems used to choose a single input from multiple sources while passing it onward ; units designed to handle multiple signal inputs and enable concurrent data transmission ; instruments employed to integrate several information channels into one for streamlined communication
3. Electronic units capable of routing one out of many inputs to a single output channel ; tools allowing for the multiplexing of data streams to optimize bandwidth usage ; functional parts in circuits or networks that enable selection and direction of diverse signals for processing or transmission

Etymology: "Multiplexor" is the plural form of "multiplexor," and the singular is the one that carries the history. It is built from "multiplex," which comes from Latin "multiplex," meaning "manifold" or "having many folds," combining "multi-" (many) with "-plex" from "plicare," to fold. The Latin sense of folding many times gave English a word for something that combines many strands into one channel. The suffix "-or" is an agent ending, inherited through Old French "-eor" and Latin "-tor" and "-ātor," which names a device or person doing an action. So a multiplexor is literally a thing that does the "multiplexing": taking many incoming signals and folding them onto a single line, then selecting which one passes through. The noun is a straightforward compound of Latin parts plus an English-adopted suffix, and its meaning follows directly from those pieces.

Synonyms: multiplexers, selectors, switchers