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Multiplex is either a word derived from multi- + plex (fold) or a synthetic portmanteau combining the words multiple and complex.

It has several meanings.

1. another word for many or (literally) manifold
2. A kind of wood substitute made from wood splinters glued into boards, also see Triplex
3. In electronics a device that takes multiple inputs and combines them using time division is called a multiplexer. One concrete example of a multiplexer is the 74ALS157 'Quad 2- to 1-line data selector/multiplexer'. The verb for what this device does is 'to multiplex'. A device that does the reverse function of a multiplexer is called a demultiplexer.
4. A number of digital television channels multiplexed onto a single broadcast channel is known as a "multiplex".
5. In highway terminology, it indicates that several highways are using the same physical highway. If two highways are signed in opposite directions (e.g. Massachusetts State Highway 128 and Interstate 93 near Boston, Massachusetts), that is a wrong-way multiplex. If one of the highways could have ended at the other, that is a stupid multiplex.
6. It is also derived from multiple cineplex; in this sense, it is a movie theater with more than one screen.