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Synonyms

promulgation

American  
[prom-uhl-gey-shuhn] / ˌprɒm əlˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of making a law or decree known, or formally putting it into effect, by public declaration.

    Upon adoption, signing, and promulgation of these provisions in the established procedure, they acquire the power of law.

  2. the act of publicly teaching or setting forth an idea, doctrine, etc..

    The systematic study of parasites began with the promulgation of the germ theory.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of promulgation

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin prōmulgātiōn-, stem of prōmulgātiō, equivalent to prōmulgāt(us) (past participle of prōmulgāre ) + -iō -ion ( def. ); see promulgate ( def. )

Explanation

Use the word promulgation when you're talking about an official announcement, like a newspaper story announcing a town's new regulations on trash and recycling services. A public notice or announcement can be called a promulgation, though it's used more often to describe a government's declaration — often in the newspaper or on the radio — of new laws. If you want to sound especially formal or fancy, you can call your book club's notification of a venue change a promulgation. It comes from the Latin promulgare, "make publicly known," itself a combination of pro, "out," and mulgere, "to cause to come forth," or literally, "to milk."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing promulgation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Critical thought was banished, and the pursuit of truth was forced to yield to the confirmation of biases and the promulgation of doctrines.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2023

This question is not academic: The answer determines whether Thomas’ conduct prior to the promulgation of the new rule was outright illegal or simply unseemly.

From Slate Apr. 6, 2023

The bill states that the office will start issuing applications for licenses and permits within a year of the promulgation of the rules and regulations.

From Seattle Times Jan. 19, 2023

His visa was later reinstated because the promulgation, which is drafted to exclude undergraduates, was wrongly applied to him.

From BBC Oct. 19, 2020

We must now take a wider survey of the moral ideas on which pagan society was built, and of which Pre-islamic poetry is at once the promulgation and the record.

From A Literary History of the Arabs by Nicholson, Reynold

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