Multus

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Numerous in quantity or amount; consisting of many parts or elements; abundant or plentiful in number
2. Comprising a large or extensive number of items, elements, or individuals; having a great variety or multiplicity; characterized by an ample supply
3. Containing or involving a sizable count or multitude; distinguished by manifold components or extensive presence; marked by richness in quantity or abundance

Etymology: "Multus" is the Latin adjective meaning "much" or "many," used in the plural as "many" and in the singular as "much" with mass nouns. Its basic sense, "large in number or amount," has changed little since the Romans used it, but the word's root, mel-, is one of those ancient Indo-European roots that also gave English words like "mickle," which survives mainly in the proverb "many a mickle makes a muckle." Latin "multus" is itself the source of "multiple," "multitude," and "multiply," all of which passed into English through Latin and French during the medieval and early modern periods. The word was never borrowed as a standalone English term; it lives on as the building block of a family of derivatives. Its comparative and superlative forms, "plus" and "plurimus," show the Latin pattern of irregular forms, and "plus" in particular was borrowed directly into English in the sense "more," so the two words are closely linked. Given that, "multus" is best understood as the ancestor of a whole vocabulary of quantity rather than a word with a dramatic story of its own.

Synonyms: many, numerous, much, abundant

Antonyms: few, little, scarce