multifarious

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 12, 2025 is multifarious, an adjective that describes something with great diversity or variety. It is a formal word and a synonym of diverse. The word multifarious can be used to describe various activities or a career with many different aspects. For example, a person may participate in multifarious activities throughout college. The word has been used to describe the career of musician Pat Metheny, who has led numerous bands. Before the word multifarious existed, English speakers used the word multifary, which appeared and disappeared in the 15th century. The word multifarious comes from the Medieval Latin word multifarius, which is derived from the Latin adverb multifariam, meaning "in many places." The prefix multi- means "many" and is used to form many English words, including multicultural and multimillion. A relative of multifarious is the word omnifarious, which means "of all varieties, forms, or kinds" and is created with the prefix omni- meaning "all." The word multifarious first appeared in the late 16th century.