A characteristic of an authentication system or an authenticator that requires more than one distinct authentication factor for successful authentication. MFA can be performed using a single authenticator that provides more than one factor or by a combination of authenticators that provide different factors. The three authentication factors are something you know, something you have, and something you are.
Source(s):
NIST SP 1800-17b
under Multifactor
NIST SP 1800-17c
under Multifactor