How can I form a word like "quadruple" for any number I want?


I'm not sure what these are called, but how can I form a word like "quadruple" for any number I want? Like 5× as much is quintuple, what is 31× as much or 147× as much? I want to know how they are formed so I can make my own.


Similarly, how do I construct the prefixes, such as unicycle, bicycle, tricycle, quadricycle? I figured out 12 is duodeci-, but how can I form any prefix like this?



Answer



The usual way is just to find the Latin root and add the suffix: quintuple, sextuple, septuple, nonuple, etc.


For numbers beyond eight or nine, the -uple construction sounds rather strained, if not downright silly. (Duodecuple? Really?)


I'd recommend -fold as an alternative ("a ninety-fold increase"), or substitute another counter noun altogether: an "eighty-one piece orchestra"; "a sixteen-part vocal arrangement"; "a 48-pin connector."


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