/ ˈmʌltɪpl; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] many in number; involving many different people or things :
multiple copies of documents
a multiple entry visa
to suffer multiple injuries (= in many different places in the body)
a multiple birth (= several babies born to a mother at one time)
a multiple pile-up (= a crash involving many vehicles)
a house in multiple ownership / occupancy (= owned / occupied by several different people or families)
■ noun
1.
( mathematics ) a quantity that contains another quantity an exact number of times :
14, 21 and 28 are all multiples of 7.
16 is the lowest common multiple of 8 and 4.
Traveller's cheques are available in multiples of €10 (= to the value of €10, €20, €30, etc.) .
2.
(also ˌmultiple ˈstore ) (both BrE ) = chain store
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from French , from late Latin multiplus , alteration of Latin multiplex multiple .