From Middle English multitude, multitud, multytude, borrowed from Old French multitude, or directly from its etymon Latin multitūdō, from multus + -tūdō.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/, [-t͡ʃ-]
• (America) IPA: /ˈmʌltəˌt(j)ud/

multitude (plural multitudes)

1. A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.

   Synonyms: hantel, hantle

   • 1892, Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC ↗, stanza 51, page 78 ↗:

     Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC ↗:

     A torrential rain poured down from the floodgates of the angry heavens upon the bared heads of the assembled multitude which numbered at the lowest computation five hundred thousand persons.

   • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XIV, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC ↗:

     We found Pop Glossop in his pantry polishing silver, and put in our order. He seemed a little surprised at the inrush of such a multitude, but on learning that our tongues were hanging out obliged with a bottle of the best […]

2. The mass of ordinary people; the masses, the populace.

   Synonyms: crowd

   • 1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC ↗, page 117 ↗:

     Along with its natural protectors and guardians, learning will be caſt into the mire and trodden down under the hoofs of a ſwiniſh multitude.

• French: multitude
• German: Vielzahl, Menge
• Italian: moltitudine
• Portuguese: multidão, massa, povo
• Russian: мно́жество
• Spanish: multitud

• French: multitude
• German: Menschenmenge, Menge, Volk
• Italian: folla
• Spanish: multitud