Octupling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of multiplying a quantity so that it becomes eight times larger
2. An operation that results in an amount being enhanced by a factor of eight
3. The act of making something become eight times as large or numerous

Etymology: "Octupling" is the present participle of "octuple," which means to multiply by eight. The verb is built from "oct-," from Latin "octo" meaning "eight," followed by "-u-," a connecting vowel, and "-ple," the ending that appears in "double," "triple," and "quadruple." The pattern is the same one behind words like "quadruple" and "sextuple," with "oct-" swapped in for the number prefix. The "-ple" ending comes from Latin "-plex" and "-plus," which signaled a number of folds or parts, so a "triple" was originally threefold. Attaching it to a Greek-derived numerical prefix produces a word that reads at once as a calculation, which is why such forms are common in mathematics and commerce.

Synonyms: multiplying by eight, quadrupling, exponentiating, increasing, escalating