English Explanatory Dictionary

contain multitudes

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To have a complex and apparently paradoxical nature; to be inconsistent, especially in a way that is ultimately admirable or noble.

Pronunciation

/kənˌteɪn ˈmʌltɪtjuːdz/ /-t͡ʃ-/ /kənˌteɪn ˈmʌltəˌt(j)udz/ En-us-contain multitudes.ogg

Word forms

contain multitudes contains multitudes containing multitudes contained multitudes

Etymology

Coined by the American poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892) in his poem “Song of Myself” published in Leaves of Grass (1855): see the quotation.

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on C Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary