Dictionary

multitude en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (General-American) audio
• [-t͡ʃ-] (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈmʊltɪt͡ʃuːd/ (Northern-England)
• /ˈmʌltəˌt(j)ud/ (General-American)
• /ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English multitude, multitud, multytude (“(great) amount or number of people or things; multitudinous”), borrowed from Old French multitude (“crowd of people; diversity, wide range”), or directly from its etymon Latin multitūdō (“great amount or number of people or things”), from multus (“many; much”) + -tūdō (suffix forming abstract nouns indicating a state or condition). The English word is analysable as multi- + -itude.

Meanings

1. A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.
   • We found Pop Glossop in his pantry polishing silver, and put in our order. He seemed a little surprised at the inrush of such a multitude, but on learning that our tongues were hanging out obliged with a bottle of the best […] 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XIV, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
   • Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.) 1892, Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC, stanza 51, page 78:
   • On the other hand, to arrive after dusk, when the multitude of garish little public-houses are lit up, giving glimpses of crowded jostling bars and taprooms, is an introduction to a fine city well calculated to affect even the most nonchalant. 1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, page 703:
   • A torrential rain poured down from the floodgates of the angry heavens upon the bared heads of the assembled multitude which numbered at the lowest computation five hundred thousand persons. 1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:
   • Ever since El Martinez started asking to be called by the gender-neutral pronouns “they/them” in the ninth grade, they have fielded skepticism in a variety of forms and from a multitude of sources about what it means to identify as nonbinary. 2019 May 29, Amy Harmon, “Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering a Nonbinary Option”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2019:
2. The mass of ordinary people; the masses, the populace.
   • Along with its natural protectors and guardians, learning will be caſt into the mire and trodden down under the hoofs of a ſwiniſh multitude. 1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 117:
   • Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil 1599, “Exodus 23:2”, in Geneva Bible, Tolle Lege Press, →ISBN, page 83:

Forms

Deriveds

multitudinous · of multitude · contain multitudes · overmultitude

Synonyms

legion · hantel, hantle · crowd

Translations (84)

ota قالابالق (great amount or number, often of people) · got 𐌷𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌼𐌰 (great amount or number, often of people) · sh pȗk (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · tr kalabalık (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · mi ngerongero (great amount or number, often of people) · tr millet (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · fr multitude (great amount or number, often of people) · hy բազմություն (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · no menneskemengde, den gemene hop (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · eo popolanaro (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · de Vielzahl (great amount or number, often of people) · sh ма̀са (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · de Menschenmenge (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · fi rahvas (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · sh го̀мила (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · pt multidão (great amount or number, often of people) · sh mnòštvo (great amount or number, often of people) · sh мно̀штво (great amount or number, often of people) · mi marea (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · grc πλῆθος (great amount or number, often of people) · got 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌲𐌴𐌹 (great amount or number, often of people) · tr kalabalık (great amount or number, often of people) · ota كومه (great amount or number, often of people) · got 𐌹𐌿𐌼𐌾𐍉 (great amount or number, often of people) · de Menge (great amount or number, often of people) · el μάζα (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · hy շատություն (great amount or number, often of people) · sh свјѐтина (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · mi mātinitini (great amount or number, often of people) · te అధిక మొత్తము (great amount or number, often of people) · de Volk (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · ga mórshlua (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · fi joukko (great amount or number, often of people) · chr ᎤᏂᏣᏘ (great amount or number, often of people) · fr multitude (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · pl mnóstwo (great amount or number, often of people) · he ערב רב (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · gd mòr-sluagh (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · es multitud (great amount or number, often of people) · eo amaso (great amount or number, often of people) · it folla (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · el πλήθος (great amount or number, often of people) · fi kansa (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · sh gòmila (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · jam massive (great amount or number, often of people) · sh màsa (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · hy ամբոխ (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · sh mnòštvo (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · es multitud (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · bg маса (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · he המון (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · it moltitudine (great amount or number, often of people) · el πλήθος (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · mi nuipuku (great amount or number, often of people) · ru мно́жество (great amount or number, often of people) · sh пу̑к (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · sh svjètina (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · ota هوش (great amount or number, often of people) · mi ngero (great amount or number, often of people) · la multitudo (great amount or number, often of people) · hy բազմություն (great amount or number, often of people) · mi hākerekere (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · cop ⲑⲟ (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · pl bezlik (great amount or number, often of people) · he המון (great amount or number, often of people) · mi tini ngerongero (great amount or number, often of people) · grc πλῆθος (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · te జనబాహుళ్యము (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · sa चक्रवाल (great amount or number, often of people) · lad alay (great amount or number, often of people) · la multitudo (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · pl multum (great amount or number, often of people) · ota سوری (great amount or number, often of people) · sh мно̀штво (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · ga mórshlua (great amount or number, often of people) · pt povo (great amount or number, often of people) · de Menge (mass of ordinary people; the populace or the masses) · pt massa (great amount or number, often of people) · am ብዛት (great amount or number, often of people) · cop ⲑⲟ (great amount or number, often of people) · no mengde (great amount or number, often of people) · ru ма́сса (great amount or number, often of people) · gd mòr-sluagh (great amount or number, often of people) · ca ramat (great amount or number, often of people)