multivalent

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *mel-der.

Proto-Indo-European *-tósder.

Proto-Indo-European *ml̥tós?

Proto-Italic *moltos

Latin multus

Latin multīder.

Middle English multi-

English multi-

English -valent

English multivalent

From multi- + -valent.

Adjective

multivalent (comparative more multivalent, superlative most multivalent)

1. (chemistry) Having more than one valency or having a valency greater than 3; polyvalent.
2. (genetics) Having three or more homologous chromosomes during the first division of meiosis.
3. (immunology) Having more than one attachment site for an antibody or antigen.
4. (grammar) Able to bind to different parts of speech.
   • 1993, Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies - Volume 37, page 83:

     This procedure can be justified by considering the difficult word or compound as a separate part of a sentence of which the (verbal) adjective is the multivalent predicate, i.e. able to bind more than one part of speech.

   • 2016, Chris Rogers, The Use and Development of the Xinkan Languages, →ISBN, page 125:

     In general terms, each of the causative suffixes derives a multivalent verb having the meaning 'to cause/make to V', where V is a variable standing for the verbal action of the base.

5. (art) Having many kinds of value.
6. Having many meanings.

Derived terms

• multivalently

Related terms

• multivalence

Noun

multivalent (plural multivalents)

1. (genetics) Any multivalent chromosome.

French

Adjective

multivalent (plural multivalents)

1. multivalent

Further reading

• “multivalent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French multivalent.

Adjective

multivalent m or n (feminine singular multivalentă, masculine plural multivalenți, feminine/neuter plural multivalente)

1. multivalent

Declension

Declension of multivalent

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	multivalent		multivalentă	multivalenți	multivalente
	definite	multivalentul		multivalenta	multivalenții	multivalentele
genitive- dative	indefinite	multivalent		multivalente	multivalenți	multivalente
	definite	multivalentului		multivalentei	multivalenților	multivalentelor