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Poly vs Multiple - What's the difference?

poly | multiple |

As nouns the difference between poly and multiple

is that poly is polytechnic while multiple is a number that may be divided by another number with no remainder.

As adjectives the difference between poly and multiple

is that poly is polyamorous while multiple is having more than one element, part, component, or function, particularly many.

As a verb poly

is to polymorph; to transform by magic.

poly

English

Etymology 1

Shortening of various words.

Noun

(polys)
  • polytechnic.
  • polyethylene (polythene)
  • (chiefly, computer graphics) polygon
  • (uncountable) polyester
    • a cotton-poly blend
  • (chiefly, informal) polyamory
  • (chiefly, informal) A polyamorous person.

    • Adjective

    (-)
  • (chiefly, informal) polyamorous

    • Verb

  • (transitive, video games, roguelikes) To polymorph; to transform by magic.

    • Etymology 2

    (etyl) (lena) polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium .

    Alternative forms

    * poley

    Noun

  • A whitish woolly plant () of the order Labiatae, found throughout the Mediterranean.

    • Usage notes

    * The name, with various prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus.

    Derived terms

    * poly-mountain (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

    *

    multiple

    English

    (wikipedia multiple)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having more than one element, part, component, or function, particularly many.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Catherine Clabby
    • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Focus on Everything , passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.

    Synonyms

    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Antonyms

    * (many) (l) (rare)

    Derived terms

    * Law of multiple proportion (Law of Dalton) * multiple algebra * multiple conjugation * multiple exposure * multiple fruits * multiple orgasm * multiple star

    Related terms

    * multi- * multiplier * multiplicity * multiply

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (mathematics) A number that may be divided by another number with no remainder.
  • * 14, 21 and 70 are multiples of 7
  • (finance) Price-earnings ratio.
  • One of a set of the same thing; a duplicate.
  • A single individual who has multiple personalities.
  • * 2010 , Ann M. Garvey, Ann's Multiple World of Personality: Regular No Cream, No Sugar
    • I had seen its first show when it was a freebie, but I thought it made multiples in general look silly – no one changes clothes THAT much!
  • * 2000 , Henk Driessen, ?Ton Otto, Perplexities of identification (page 115)
    • Non-abused multiples have no need of doctors, and they have carved out a foothold of their own from where they speak confidently about their utopian vision of a multiple world.

    Derived terms

    * common multiple * least common multiple