multivalent

adjective mul·ti·va·lent \ ˌməl-tē-ˈvā-lənt , -ˌtī- , especially in sense 3 ˌməl-ˈti-və- \

Updated on: 25 Mar 2018

Definition of multivalent

1 : polyvalent

2 : represented more than twice in the somatic chromosome number

multivalent chromosomes

3 : having many values, meanings, or appeals

—

multivalent

noun

Recent Examples of multivalent from the Web

Beyond the realm of VH1, drag is a multivalent art form with a complex and stratified history.

— wilder davies, Time, "RuPaul’s Drag Race and What People Get Wrong About the History of Drag," 9 Mar. 2018
Both women’s ambitious works take on multivalent subjects challenging to render in movement.

— claudia bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "ODC premieres take on the world," 31 Jan. 2018
Carrington has become a multivalent force in recent decades as a Berklee College of Music professor, producer, entrepreneur and Grammy Award-winning bandleader who’s turned her focus to creating opportunities for women instrumentalists.

— andrew gilbert, The Mercury News, "High-flying Wayne Shorter brings famed quartet to San Francisco," 26 Apr. 2017
China Miéville is one of those fiction writers whose multivalent imagination — with its monsters, cityscapes of the future, and battles between good and evil — is capable of making readers’ heads explode.

— john williams, New York Times, "Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: China Miéville on the Russian Revolution," 7 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'multivalent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of multivalent

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NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1863

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Dictionary

multivalent

adjective mul·ti·va·lent \ ˌməl-ti-ˈvā-lənt , -ˌtī- \

medical Definition of multivalent

1 : polyvalent

2 : represented more than twice in the somatic chromosome number

multivalent chromosomes

multivalent

noun

medical Definition of multivalent

: a multivalent group of chromosomes

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multivalent

Definition of multivalent

multivalent

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multivalent

medical Definition of multivalent

multivalent

medical Definition of multivalent

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multivalent

Definition of multivalent

multivalent

Recent Examples of multivalent from the Web

Origin and Etymology of multivalent

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multivalent

medical Definition of multivalent

multivalent

medical Definition of multivalent

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