ˌməltəplə̇ˈkāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English multiplicacioun, from Middle French multiplication, from Latin multiplication-, multiplicatio, from multiplicatus (past participle of multiplicare to multiply) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at multiply
1.
a. : the act or process of multiplying
combat the weevil and prevent its multiplication — Encyc. Americana
the multiplication and distribution of a printed and bound message — B.L.Stratton
b. : the state of being multiplied
this multiplication of security investigations is institutionalized — H.J.Morgenthau
when the converter is developing its greatest torque multiplication — Joseph Heitner
2.
a. : a mathematical operation commonly indicated by ab, a.b, or a×b and having various significances according to the type of numbers involved, the simplest being in the case of positive integers where the process is that of repeating b as many times as there are units in a or vice versa
b. : the mathematical process involving an operand and an operator each of which may consist of various kinds of numbers, symbols, expressions, assemblages, or magnitudes and in which the operand is affected by the operator in a manner governed by defined laws some of which are usually the same as those that apply to the multiplication of numbers even when numbers are not involved
the multiplication of derivatives to yield derivatives of derivatives
3. : the logical operation of forming a conjunction or product — rarely used outside the algebra of classes