Polyphase

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Involving several distinct phases functioning concurrently within a system
2. Relating to a process or mechanism that comprises multiple, interrelated phases acting in unison
3. Characterized by the presence of several overlapping phases operating together within a system

Etymology: "Polyphase" is a plain technical compound, built from the Greek prefix "poly-", meaning "many," and "phase." The second half traces back to the ancient Greek "phasis," meaning "appearance" or "a showing forth," from the verb "phainein," "to show or bring to light." That sense of something coming into view gave the word its later meaning of a stage in a cycle, as with the Moon's phases. The Greek root reached English through New Latin "phasis," which was then borrowed into English as "phase." The prefix "poly-" comes from the Greek "polys," meaning "much" or "many," so a polyphase system is one with many phases. Engineers adopted the compound to describe alternating-current systems that carry several waveforms offset in time, a use that became central to electrical power distribution.