Multisided

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by possessing multiple faces or surfaces that can engage with surroundings
2. Describing an object or concept that has various dimensions or features that can be examined from different perspectives
3. Having numerous distinct surfaces or angles that form the shape or character of an object

Etymology: "Multisided" is a plain compound: "multi-" joined to "sided," with no surprising turns along the way. The first part, "multi-," comes from Latin "multus," meaning "many" or "much," which English picked up in its combining form and then used freely in new formations. "Sided" is the ordinary English adjective from "side," so the whole word simply means "having many sides." The Latin root "multus" has deep ancestry, reaching back to a reconstructed Proto-Indo-European base connected to ideas of abundance, but in English the word's history is really the story of "multi-" as a productive prefix. Its appearance in English in the Middle English period gave speakers a ready-made element for building descriptive words, and "multisided" follows that pattern, applying the idea of many sides to objects, shapes, and abstract ideas alike.

Synonyms: many-sided, complex, multifaceted, diverse

Antonyms: onesided, simple, unilateral