Definition
A cockpit screen that presents several types of flight information on one display, with the pilot able to select what is shown. Typical pages include moving maps, navigation data, terrain, weather, traffic, engine and system readouts, and flight plan information. The MFD usually sits beside the Primary Flight Display (PFD) in a glass cockpit and complements it by showing situational and systems information rather than primary flight instruments.
Plain English
A screen in the cockpit that can show different things — like a map, weather, engine readings, or your flight plan — and the pilot chooses which page to look at.
Context Anchor
Seen in airplanes with electronic cockpit displays, especially when checking navigation, engine information, weather, traffic, or system pages.
Derivation
Multi means many, and function means job or use. So a multi-function display is one screen that does many jobs, instead of having a separate instrument for each one.
Why Pilots Care
It consolidates information that once required separate instruments, lowering pilot workload and improving access to critical data during flight.
Intuition Check
Do not assume an MFD is one specific instrument with one fixed job. Its main point is that the same screen can show different kinds of information depending on what the pilot selects.
Example Sentence 1
She switched the MFD to the engine page to check oil temperature and fuel flow during the climb.
Example Sentence 2
During cruise the MFD displayed engine temperatures and fuel flow alongside the moving map.