manifold

[man-uh-fohld] /ˈmæn əˌfoʊld/

adjective

of many kinds; numerous and varied:

manifold duties.

having numerous different parts, elements, features, forms, etc.:

a manifold program for social reform.

using, functioning with, or operating several similar or identical devices at the same time.

(of paper business forms) made up of a number of sheets interleaved with carbon paper.

being such or so designated for many reasons:

a manifold enemy.

noun

something having many different parts or features.

a copy or facsimile, as of something written, such as is made by manifolding.

any thin, inexpensive paper for making carbon copies on a typewriter.

Machinery. a chamber having several outlets through which a liquid or gas is distributed or gathered.

10.

Philosophy. (in Kantian epistemology) the totality of discrete items of experience as presented to the mind; the constituents of a sensory experience.

11.

Mathematics. a topological space that is connected and locally Euclidean.

Compare locally Euclidean space.

verb (used with object)

12.

to make copies of, as with carbon paper.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English; Old English manigf(e)ald (adj.). See many, -fold

Related forms

manifoldly, adverb

manifoldness, noun

Synonyms

1. various, multitudinous. See many. 2. varied, divers, multifarious.

Antonyms

1. simple, single.

Examples from the web for manifold

Stock and filed manifold compared to show size increase.
The problem is various and manifold.
This fire had the appearance of being immediately derived from heaven, and manifold were the virtues ascribed to it.
Alexander discovered that the homology groups of the covering manifolds are in general different for different knots.
The risks were manifold.
The car used twin carburetors atop a special aluminum manifold.
Not even in the four-dimensional manifold that is Pittsburgh street topology.
First, we'll be able to make targeted, strategic investments that will pay manifold dividends.
The reaction was intense and manifold.
The block and cylinder heads are aluminum alloy and the intake manifold and camshaft covers are lightweight plastic.

British Dictionary definitions for manifold

manifold

/ˈmænɪˌfəʊld/

adjective (formal)

of several different kinds; multiple: manifold reasons

having many different forms, features, or elements: manifold breeds of dog

noun

something having many varied parts, forms, or features

a copy of a page, book, etc

a chamber or pipe with a number of inlets or outlets used to collect or distribute a fluid. In an internal-combustion engine the inlet manifold carries the vaporized fuel from the carburettor to the inlet ports and the exhaust manifold carries the exhaust gases away

(maths)

a collection of objects or a set
a topological space having specific properties

(in the philosophy of Kant) the totality of the separate elements of sensation which are then organized by the active mind and conceptualized as a perception of an external object

verb

(transitive) to duplicate (a page, book, etc)

to make manifold; multiply

Derived Forms

manifolder, noun
manifoldly, adverb
manifoldness, noun

Word Origin

Old English manigfeald. See many, -fold

Word Origin and History for manifold

adj.

Old English monigfald (Anglian), manigfeald (West Saxon), "various, varied in appearance, complicated; numerous, abundant," from manig (see many) + -feald (see -fold). A common Germanic compound (cf. Old Frisian manichfald, Middle Dutch menichvout, German mannigfalt, Swedish mångfalt, Gothic managfalþs), perhaps a loan-translation of Latin multiplex (see multiply). Retains the original pronunciation of many. Old English also had a verbal form, manigfealdian "to multiply, abound, increase, extend."

adv.

Old English manigfealdlic "in various ways, manifoldly," from the source of manifold (adj.).

in mechanical sense, first as "pipe or chamber with several outlets," 1884, see manifold (adj.); originally as manifold pipe (1857), with reference to a type of musical instrument mentioned in the Old Testament.

manifold in Science

manifold

(mān'ə-fōld')
A topological space or surface.