"act of resettling; a fresh settlement," in any sense, 1630s, from resettle + -ment. In a South African racial context from 1954.

"a word of many syllables," by 1818 as a dictionary word, from multi- "many" + syllable. As an adjective, "consisting of or containing many syllables," by 1892.

"turning into many shapes, protean," 1828, from multi- "many" + present participle of Latin versare, literally "to turn often" (see versant).

1869, originally in chemistry, "having more than one degree of valency," from multi- "many" + -valent (see valence in the chemistry sense). Related Multivalence.

"diversity of forms; variety of shapes or appearances in one thing," 1580s, from Late Latin multiformitas, from Latin multiformis "many-shaped; manifold; various, diverse," see multi- + form (n.).

by 1928, in common use from 1935, originally in a European context, "racial supremacy as a doctrine, the theory that human characteristics and abilities are determined by race;" see racist, and compare the various senses in race (n.2) and racialism. Applied to American social systems from late 1930s.

This meaning of Nationalism in no sense implies any consent to the doctrine of Racism, which holds that unity of racial origin is the main principle of unity for civil society and that the members of each ethnical branch should properly aim at grouping themselves together into so many national States. Although it is desirable that strongly-felt national aspirations, which often depend on community of race, should be satisfied, as far as this may be compatible with justice, Racism or the Principle of Racial Self determination, as it has been called in recent years is a materialistic illusion contrary to natural law and destructive of civilisation. [James Strachey Barnes, "The Universal Aspects of Fascism," London, 1928]

1803, "that marks distinction; making distinctions, discriminating;" see discriminate + -ory. Earlier was discriminative (1620s). As "involving distinctions based on racial prejudice," by 1954.