multinuclear
|mul-ti-nu-cle-ar|
🇺🇸
/ˌmʌl.tiˈnuː.kli.ɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˌmʌl.tɪˈnjuː.kli.ə/
more than one nucleus
Etymology
'multinuclear' originates from Latin: the prefix 'multi-' comes from Latin 'multus' meaning 'many', and 'nuclear' comes from Latin 'nucleus' meaning 'kernel' or 'core'.
'multinuclear' was formed in modern English by combining the Latin-derived prefix 'multi-' with the adjective 'nuclear' (from Latin/Medieval Latin 'nuclearis'), yielding a technical adjective meaning 'having multiple nuclei'.
Initially built from elements meaning 'many' and 'kernel/core', the word has been used in technical contexts to mean 'having multiple nuclei' and has retained that specific technical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having more than one nucleus within a single cell (used in biology).
Skeletal muscle fibers are multinuclear, containing many nuclei per cell.
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Adjective 2
consisting of or containing several metal centers or nuclei in a single molecule or complex (used in chemistry/materials science).
The researchers synthesized a multinuclear metal complex with three cobalt centers.
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Last updated: 2025/12/01 14:35