proliferation

[pruh-lif-uh-rey-shuh n]

See more synonyms for proliferation on Thesaurus.com

noun

the growth or production of cells by multiplication of parts.
a rapid and often excessive spread or increase: nuclear proliferation.

Origin of proliferation

First recorded in 1855–60; proliferate + -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for proliferation

Contemporary Examples

Concerns about the proliferation of these labs date back to shortly after the expansion began in the early 2000s.
Growing Number of Biosafety Labs Raises Red Flags
Center for Public Integrity
August 20, 2014
The proliferation of zany burger toppings came next as an inevitable by-product of the high-end burger fad.
Have We Reached ‘Peak Burger’? The Crazy Fetishization of Our Most Basic Comfort Food
Brandon Presser
July 31, 2014
The proliferation of Muslim-majority states continued with decolonization in the 1950s and 1960s.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children
Philip Jenkins
July 11, 2014
But Cole also points to the proliferation of phones with video capabilities as a turning point.
What Do Arab Millennials Want?
William O’Connor
July 1, 2014
In the 19th century, it was the proliferation of the penny press and today it has a lot to do with the ubiquity of mobile devices.
Jeff Sharlet’s ‘Radiant Truths’: How Religion Shaped American Literary Journalism
Jonathan D. Fitzgerald
May 4, 2014

Historical Examples

The 70s witnessed a proliferation of multilateral assistance programs.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin
This phenomenon is known as proliferation of the floral axis.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5
Various
And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
That cells, still retaining the same nature, increase by self-division or proliferation, is admitted by almost every one.
The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Volume II (of 2)
Charles Darwin
That the chieftaincy was neither inherited nor permanent is indicated by the proliferation of chiefs' names in historical sources.
Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society
Robert F. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for proliferation

proliferation

noun

rapid growth or reproduction of new parts, cells, etc
rapid growth or increase in numbers
a great numberdone up in a proliferation of fancy frills

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proliferation

n.

1859, "formation or development of cells," from French prolifération, from prolifère "producing offspring," from Latin proles "offspring" (see prolific) + ferre "to bear" (see infer). Meaning "enlargement, extension, increase" is from 1920; especially of nuclear weapons (1966).

proliferation in Medicine

proliferation

(prə-lĭf′ə-rā′shən)

The growth and reproduction of similar cells.

proliferation

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Examples from the Web for proliferation

Contemporary Examples

Concerns about the proliferation of these labs date back to shortly after the expansion began in the early 2000s.

The proliferation of zany burger toppings came next as an inevitable by-product of the high-end burger fad.

The proliferation of Muslim-majority states continued with decolonization in the 1950s and 1960s.

But Cole also points to the proliferation of phones with video capabilities as a turning point.

In the 19th century, it was the proliferation of the penny press and today it has a lot to do with the ubiquity of mobile devices.

Historical Examples

The 70s witnessed a proliferation of multilateral assistance programs.

This phenomenon is known as proliferation of the floral axis.

And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.

That cells, still retaining the same nature, increase by self-division or proliferation, is admitted by almost every one.

That the chieftaincy was neither inherited nor permanent is indicated by the proliferation of chiefs' names in historical sources.

proliferation

Word Origin and History for proliferation

n.

proliferation

Origin of proliferation