multiplier

English

Etymology

From multiply +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• enPR: mŭlʹ-tĭ-plī'-ər, IPA^(key): /ˈmʌltɪˌplaɪəɹ/
  • (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈmʌɫ.tɪˌplaɪ.ə(ɹ)]
  • (US) IPA^(key): [ˈmʌɫ.tɪˌplaɪ.ɚ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mul‧ti‧pli‧er

Noun

multiplier (plural multipliers)

1. (arithmetic) A number by which another (the multiplicand) is to be multiplied.

   In the expression 5 × 7, the "5" is a multiplier.

   The score multiplier increases each time you complete a level of the video game.

   • 1997, Christopher Alan White, The Development of Ab Initio Methods for the Treatment of Large Molecules:

     The electron number constraint unlike the idempotency constraint can be represented by a single equation. For this reason, one can properly incorporate this constraint using a Lagrange multiplier and defining an effective chemical potential

   • 2018, Lars Ljungqvist and Thomas J. Sargent, Recursive macroeconomic theory, 4th edition, MIT Press, page 129:

     After studying a recursive formulation and the associated Bellman equation, in section 5.5 we analyze a Lagrangian formulation that provides useful insights about how Lagrange multipliers on transition laws relate to gradients of value functions.

2. (grammar) An adjective indicating the number of times something is to be multiplied.

   English multipliers include "double" and "triple".

3. (economics) A ratio used to estimate total economic effect for a variety of economic activities.
   • 2024 November 3, Will Hutton, “Investment drives growth. That’s why gloomy forecasters are so wrong about the budget”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     There is a second-round effect of crowding in higher private investment as public sector contractors tool up to meet the public contracts, and then a third – as all firms adjust to the higher level of demand by raising business investment levels – of more crowding in and so-called “multiplier effects”.

4. (physics) Any of several devices used to enhance a signal
   1. (physics, obsolete) a coil; when Johann Schweigger in 1820 invented the electric coil, increasing the electro-magnetic field from a single wire, this invention was called a multiplier.
5. A multiplier onion.
   • 1995, Marian Coonse, Onions, Leeks and Garlic: A Handbook for Gardeners, page 52:

     Shallots are the most prolific of all the multipliers, and easier to grow than onions.

Hypernyms

• (arithmetic): operand

Coordinate terms

• (grammar): cardinal number, distributive number, ordinal number

Derived terms

• electron multiplier
• force multiplier
• frequency multiplier
• function multiplier
• multiplier effect
• voltage multiplier

Translations

number

• Armenian: բազմապատկիչ (hy) (bazmapatkičʻ)
• Belarusian: мно́жнік m (mnóžnik)
• Bulgarian: мно́жител m (mnóžitel)
• Cebuano: pil-anon
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 乘數 / 乘数 (zh) (chéngshù)

• Czech: násobitel m
• Finnish: kertoja (fi)
• French: multiplicateur (fr) m
• Georgian: მამრავლი (mamravli)
• German: Multiplikator (de) m
• Greek: πολλαπλασιαστής (el) m (pollaplasiastís)
• Hebrew: כּוֹפֵל m (kofél)
• Hungarian: szorzó (hu)
• Icelandic: margfaldari m
• Indonesian: pengali (id)
• Italian: moltiplicatore (it) m
• Japanese: 乗数 (ja) (じょうすう, jōsū)
• Korean: 승수(乘數) (ko) (seungsu)
• Latvian: reizinātājs m
• Macedonian: множител m (množitel)
• Maori: tau whakarea
• Polish: mnożnik (pl) m
• Portuguese: multiplicador m
• Romanian: multiplicator (ro) m, înmulțit (ro) m
• Russian: мно́житель (ru) m (mnóžitelʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мно̀житељ m

  Roman: mnòžitelj (sh) m

• Slovak: násobiteľ m
• Slovene: množitelj m
• Spanish: multiplicador (es) m
• Tagalog: parami
• Turkish: çarpan (tr)
• Ukrainian: мно́жник m (mnóžnyk)

grammar: type of adjective

economics: ratio

• Czech: multiplikátor m
• Finnish: kerroin (fi)

physics: device to enhance a signal

• Bulgarian: умножител m (umnožitel)
• Finnish: vahvistin (fi)
• Ukrainian: помно́жувач m (pomnóžuvač)

multiplier onion — see multiplier onion

See also

Other terms used in arithmetic operations:

• successor
• addition, summation:

  (augend) + (addend) = (total)

  (summand) + (summand) + (summand)... = (sum)

• subtraction:

  (minuend) − (subtrahend) = (difference)

• multiplication, factorization:

  (multiplier) × (multiplicand) = (product)

  (factor) × (factor) × (factor)... = (product)

• division:

  (dividend) ÷ (divisor) = (quotient)

  (numerator) / (denominator) = (quotient)

  Or sometimes = (quotient) with (remainder) remaining

• exponentiation:

  (base) ^(exponent) = (power)

• root extraction:

  ^(degree) √ (radicand) = (root)

• logarithmization:

  log_(base) (antilogarithm) = (logarithm)

Advanced hyperoperations: tetration, pentation, hexation

• mechanical torque multiplier
• power multiplier (outlet)

Anagrams

• multiperil

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French multiplier, learned remodelling of Old French molteplier, moltepleier (also monteplier), from Latin multiplicāre. By surface analysis, multi- +‎ plier.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /myl.ti.pli.je/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

multiplier

1. (mathematics) to multiply
2. to multiply
3. (reflexive) to multiply, to increase

Conjugation

Conjugation of multiplier (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	multiplier
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	multipliant /myl.ti.pli.jɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		multiplié /myl.ti.pli.je/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	multiplie /myl.ti.pli/	multiplies /myl.ti.pli/	multiplie /myl.ti.pli/	multiplions /myl.ti.pli.jɔ̃/	multipliez /myl.ti.pli.je/	multiplient /myl.ti.pli/
	imperfect	multipliais /myl.ti.pli.jɛ/	multipliais /myl.ti.pli.jɛ/	multipliait /myl.ti.pli.jɛ/	multipliions /myl.ti.pli.jɔ̃/	multipliiez /myl.ti.pli.je/	multipliaient /myl.ti.pli.jɛ/
	past historic2	multipliai /myl.ti.pli.je/	multiplias /myl.ti.pli.ja/	multiplia /myl.ti.pli.ja/	multipliâmes /myl.ti.pli.jam/	multipliâtes /myl.ti.pli.jat/	multiplièrent /myl.ti.pli.jɛʁ/
	future	multiplierai /myl.ti.pli.ʁe/	multiplieras /myl.ti.pli.ʁa/	multipliera /myl.ti.pli.ʁa/	multiplierons /myl.ti.pli.ʁɔ̃/	multiplierez /myl.ti.pli.ʁe/	multiplieront /myl.ti.pli.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	multiplierais /myl.ti.pli.ʁɛ/	multiplierais /myl.ti.pli.ʁɛ/	multiplierait /myl.ti.pli.ʁɛ/	multiplierions /myl.ti.pli.ʁjɔ̃/	multiplieriez /myl.ti.pli.ʁje/	multiplieraient /myl.ti.pli.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	multiplie /myl.ti.pli/	multiplies /myl.ti.pli/	multiplie /myl.ti.pli/	multipliions /myl.ti.pli.jɔ̃/	multipliiez /myl.ti.pli.je/	multiplient /myl.ti.pli/
	imperfect2	multipliasse /myl.ti.pli.jas/	multipliasses /myl.ti.pli.jas/	multipliât /myl.ti.pli.ja/	multipliassions /myl.ti.pli.ja.sjɔ̃/	multipliassiez /myl.ti.pli.ja.sje/	multipliassent /myl.ti.pli.jas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	multiplie /myl.ti.pli/	—	multiplions /myl.ti.pli.jɔ̃/	multipliez /myl.ti.pli.je/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Related terms

• multiplicatif
• multiplication

Further reading

• “multiplier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.