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man·i·fold (mănə-fōld)
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adj.
1. Many and varied; of many kinds; multiple: our manifold failings.
2. Having many features or forms: manifold intelligence.
3. Being such for a variety of reasons: a manifold traitor.
4. Consisting of or operating several devices of one kind at the same time.
n.
1. A whole composed of diverse elements.
2. One of several copies.
3. A pipe or chamber having multiple apertures for making connections.
4. Mathematics A topological space in which each point has a neighborhood that is equivalent to a neighborhood in Euclidean space. The surface of a sphere is a two-dimensional manifold because the neighborhood of each point is equivalent to a part of the plane.
tr.v. man·i·fold·ed, man·i·fold·ing, man·i·folds
1. To make several copies of, as with carbon paper.
2. To make manifold; multiply.

[Middle English, from Old English manigfeald : manig, many; see MANY + -feald, -fald, -fold.]

mani·foldly adv.
mani·foldness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.