multielement

adjective

mul·​ti·​el·​e·​ment ˌməl-tē-ˈe-lə-mənt How to pronounce multielement (audio)
-ˌtī-
: composed of, containing, or involving more than one distinct part or aspect : having or involving more than one element
The surfaces of lens elements reflect small amounts of light, the elements themselves absorb small quantities; in complex multielement lenses (especially zoom lenses) these differences can add up to a considerable amount.James Monaco
The Very Large Array (VLA) is the name given to the multielement … antenna array built by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) …David Morrison
specifically : having or involving more than one chemical element
a multielement analysis of soil samples
a multielement compound

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of multielement was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near multielement

Cite this Entry

“Multielement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multielement. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!