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According to the Wikipedia, it was coined by Andy Nimmo in December 1960 for a talk on the Everett many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics. It originally denoted: "an apparent universe, a multiplicity of which, go to make up the whole universe." What word is it?



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Answer: multiverse

According to the Caltech Knowledge-base for Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology - http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ - the word multiverse denotes a: "Hypothetical enlargement of the cosmos in which our Universe is but one of an enormous number of separate and distinct Universes."

If you think about it, the neologism multiverse introduces some cosmological cognitive dissonance. Doesn't the word Universe denote: "all that there is." Thus a multiverse being another universe is another "all that there is."

A complete explanation of the term multiverse and its etymology can be found in the Wikipedia at: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse


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