multiplication

[muhl-tuh-pli-key-shuh n] /ˌmʌl tə plɪˈkeɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
the act or process of multiplying or the state of being multiplied.
2.
Arithmetic. a mathematical operation, symbolized by a × b, a ⋅ b, a ∗ b, or ab, and signifying, when a and b are positive integers, that a is to be added to itself as many times as there are units in b; the addition of a number to itself as often as is indicated by another number, as in 2×3 or 5×10.
3.
Mathematics. any generalization of this operation applicable to numbers other than integers, as fractions or irrational numbers.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English multiplicacio(u)n < Latin multiplicātiōn- (stem of multiplicātiō). See multi-, plication
Related forms
multiplicational, adjective
nonmultiplication, noun
nonmultiplicational, adjective
overmultiplication, noun
remultiplication, noun
Examples from the web for multiplication
  • The need for pictures was prompted by the proliferation of fruit names that accompanied the multiplication of varieties.
  • The widely-used apparatus helped users with multiplication, division and other calculations.
  • The operator on the left side of the real formula is a multiplication symbol, not a division line.
  • Presumably it took the funeral directors years and years to learn the advanced technical skills--multiplication--involved.
  • She can tell time and do simple math, including multiplication and division.
  • Unfortunately, during the multiplication process the cells shed the genetic code that directs them to turn into hair follicles.
  • But exactly how the drug manages this multiplication trick has proved difficult to pin down.
  • Hair cloning and hair multiplication is constantly being hyped up by various doctors and biotech companies.
  • Cancer cells multiply rapidly-and such multiplication requires a lot of energy.
  • Often they are connected by simple operations such as addition or multiplication.
British Dictionary definitions for multiplication

multiplication

/ˌmʌltɪplɪˈkeɪʃən/
noun
1.
an arithmetical operation, defined initially in terms of repeated addition, usually written a × b, a.b, or ab, by which the product of two quantities is calculated: to multiply a by positive integral b is to add a to itself b times. Multiplication by fractions can then be defined in the light of the associative and commutative properties; multiplication by 1/n is equivalent to multiplication by 1 followed by division by n: for example 0.3 × 0.7 = 0.3 × 7/10 = (0.3 × 7)/10 = 21/10 = 0.21
2.
the act of multiplying or state of being multiplied
3.
the act or process in animals, plants, or people of reproducing or breeding
Derived Forms
multiplicational, adjective
Word Origin and History for multiplication
n.

mid-14c., from Old French multiplicacion (12c.) "multiplication, duplication; multiplicity, diversity," from Latin multiplicationem (nominative multiplicatio), noun of action from past participle stem of multiplicare (see multiply). Mathematical sense is attested from late 14c.

multiplication in Medicine

multiplication mul·ti·pli·ca·tion (mŭl'tə-plĭ-kā'shən)
n.

  1. The act or process of multiplying or the condition of being multiplied.

  2. Propagation of plants and animals; procreation.

multiplication in Science
multiplication
  (mŭl'tə-plĭ-kā'shən)   

  1. A mathematical operation performed on a pair of numbers in order to derive a third number called a product. For positive integers, multiplication consists of adding a number (the multiplicand) to itself a specified number of times. Thus multiplying 6 by 3 means adding 6 to itself three times. The operation of multiplication is extended to other real numbers according to the rules governing the multiplicational properties of positive integers.

  2. Any of certain analogous operations involving expressions other than real numbers.