bag / multiset

A bag or multiset is a collection of object whose members need not be distinct (unlike a set, whose members are distinct).

So the bag [ abcc ] is the same as the bag [ cabc ] but distinct from the bag [ abc ]. Contrast this with the set { abcc }, which is the same as the set { cabc }, and is also the same as the set { abc }.

The number of repetitions of each member is the multiplicity of that member. For the bag [ abcc ], the multiplicity of a and of b is 1, and the multiplicity of c is 2.