proliferate
[ pruh-lif-uh-reyt ]
verb (used with or without object),pro·lif·er·at·ed, pro·lif·er·at·ing.
to grow or produce by multiplication of parts, as in budding or cell division, or by procreation.
to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively.
Origin of proliferate
1First recorded in 1870–75; prolifer(ous) + -ate1
Other words from proliferate
- pro·lif·er·a·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use proliferate in a sentence
He calls it chronic proliferative peritonitis; it might be called more aptly the consequence of peritonitis.
British Dictionary definitions for proliferate
proliferate
/ (prəˈlɪfəˌreɪt) /
verb
to grow or reproduce (new parts, cells, etc) rapidly
to grow or increase or cause to grow or increase rapidly
Origin of proliferate
1C19: from Medieval Latin prōlifer having offspring, from Latin prōlēs offspring + ferre to bear
Derived forms of proliferate
- proliferative, adjective
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
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