Adjacent Words

Manifold definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MAN'IFOLD, a. [many and fold.] Of divers kinds; many in number; numerous; multiplied.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works! Psalms 104.
I know your manifold transgressions. Amos 5.
1. Exhibited or appearing at divers times or in various ways; applied to words in the singular number; as the manifold wisdom of God, or his manifold grace. Ephesians 3. 1 Peter 4.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: many and varied; having many features or forms; "manifold reasons"; "our manifold failings"; "manifold intelligence"; "the multiplex opportunities in high technology" [syn: manifold, multiplex] n
1: a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes
2: a lightweight paper used with carbon paper to make multiple copies; "an original and two manifolds" [syn: manifold paper, manifold]
3: a set of points such as those of a closed surface or an analogue in three or more dimensions v
1: make multiple copies of; "multiply a letter"
2: combine or increase by multiplication; "He managed to multiply his profits" [syn: multiply, manifold]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English manigfeald, from manig many + -feald -fold Date: before 12th century 1. a. marked by diversity or variety b. many 2. comprehending or uniting various features ; multifarious 3. rightfully so-called for many reasons <a manifold liar> 4. consisting of or operating many of one kind combined <a manifold bellpull> • manifoldly adverb • manifoldness noun II. adverb Date: before 12th century many times ; a great deal <will increase your blessings manifold> III. verb Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to make manifold ; multiply 2. to make several or many copies of intransitive verb to make several or many copies IV. noun Date: circa 1823 something that is manifold: as a. a whole that unites or consists of many diverse elements <the manifold of aspirations, passions, frustrations — Harry Slochower> b. a pipe fitting with several lateral outlets for connecting one pipe with others; also a fitting on an internal combustion engine that directs a fuel and air mixture to or receives the exhaust gases from several cylinders c. set 21 d. a topological space in which every point has a neighborhood that is homeomorphic to the interior of a sphere in Euclidean space of the same number of dimensions

Britannica Concise

In mathematics, a topological space (see topology) with a family of local coordinate systems related to each other by certain classes of coordinate transformations. Manifolds occur in algebraic geometry, differential equations, and classical dynamics. They are studied for their global properties by the methods of algebra and algebraic topology and form a natural domain for the global analysis of differential equations. See also tensor analysis.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. literary 1 many and various (manifold vexations). 2 having various forms, parts, applications, etc. 3 performing several functions at once. --n. 1 a thing with many different forms, parts, applications, etc. 2 Mech. a pipe or chamber branching into several openings. Derivatives: manifoldly adv. manifoldness n. Etymology: OE manigfeald (as MANY, -FOLD)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Manifold Man"i*fold, a. [AS. manigfeald. See Many, and Fold.] 1. Various in kind or quality; many in number; numerous; multiplied; complicated. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! --Ps. civ. 24. I know your manifold transgressions. --Amos v. 12. 2. Exhibited at divers times or in various ways; -- used to qualify nouns in the singular number. ``The manifold wisdom of God.'' --Eph. iii. 10. ``The manifold grace of God.'' --1 Pet. iv. 10. Manifold writing, a process or method by which several copies, as of a letter, are simultaneously made, sheets of coloring paper being infolded with thin sheets of plain paper upon which the marks made by a stylus or a type-writer are transferred.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Manifold Man"i*fold, n. 1. A copy of a writing made by the manifold process. 2. (Mech.) A cylindrical pipe fitting, having a number of lateral outlets, for connecting one pipe with several others. 3. pl. The third stomach of a ruminant animal. [Local, U.S.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Manifold Man"i*fold, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Manifolded; p. pr. & vb. n. Manifolding.] To take copies of by the process of manifold writing; as, to manifold a letter.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Things that are manifold are of many different kinds. (LITERARY) Gaelic can be heard here in manifold forms... ADJ

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

man'-i-fold (rabh; poikilos): "Manifold," which occurs only a few times, is in the Old Testament the translation of rabh, "many," "abundant" (Ne 9:19,27; Am 5:12, where it is equivalent to "many"), and of rabhabh, "to multiply," "to increase" (Ps 104:24, "O Yahweh, how manifold are thy works"); poikilos, properly, "many colored," "spotted," "variegated," is translated "manifold": 1Pe 1:6 margin, "manifold temptations"; 4:10, "manifold grace," suggests variety, diverseness; polupoikilos has this meaning more intensely (Eph 3:10, "the manifold wisdom of God"). With this may be compared a fine passage in The Wisdom of Solomon 7:22, where it is said that in Wisdom there is "an understanding spirit, holy, one only (the Revised Version (British and American) "alone in kind," margin "Greek: sole-born"), manifold (polumeres)." In like manner, pollaplasion, "manifold more" (Lu 18:30), indicates the varied elements of the reward of him who is faithful to Christ. In Ecclesiasticus 51:3, we have "manifold afflictions" (pleion).

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Numerous, multiplied, multitudinous, various, many. 2. Various, diverse, multifarious.

Moby Thesaurus

allotropic, assorted, divers, diverse, diversified, diversiform, heteromorphic, heteromorphous, increased, many, many-sided, metamorphic, metamorphotic, miscellaneous, multifarious, multifold, multiform, multiphase, multiple, multiplex, multiplied, multitudinous, numerous, polymorphic, polymorphous, polynomial, protean, proteiform, sundry, varied, various