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propagate

[prop-uh-geyt]
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verb (used with object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.
  1. to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.
  2. to reproduce (itself, its kind, etc.), as an organism does.
  3. to transmit (hereditary features or elements) to, or through, offspring.
  4. to spread (a report, doctrine, practice, etc.) from person to person; disseminate.
  5. to cause to increase in number or amount.
  6. to create (an effect) at a distance, as by electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc., traveling through space or a physical medium; transmit: to propagate sound.
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verb (used without object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.
  1. to multiply by any process of natural reproduction, as organisms; breed.
  2. to increase in extent, as a structural flaw: The crack will propagate only to this joint.
  3. (of electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc.) to travel through space or a physical medium.
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Origin of propagate

1560–70; < Latin propāgātus (past participle of propāgāre to reproduce (a plant) by cuttings, spread for sprouting, propagate, enlarge), equivalent to propāg(ēs) something set out, scion, slip (pro- pro-1 + pāg-, base of pangere to fasten + -ēs noun suffix) + -ātus -ate1
Related formsprop·a·ga·tive, prop·a·ga·to·ry [prop-uh-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈprɒp ə gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectiveprop·a·ga·tor, nounnon·prop·a·ga·tive, adjectiveself-prop·a·gat·ed, adjectiveself-prop·a·gat·ing, adjectiveun·prop·a·gat·ed, adjectiveun·prop·a·ga·tive, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for propagate

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • But they have come into existence, and they propagate their wretched race.

  • The variety is difficult to propagate and, therefore, not in favor with nurserymen.

  • Why then not propagate the system of these happy districts in Ireland?

    The O'Donoghue

    Charles James Lever

  • What right have they to propagate the rottenness of their minds and bodies?

    The Crooked House

    Brandon Fleming

  • In his selection he must have a certain model in his eye, such as he wishes to propagate.

British Dictionary definitions for propagate

propagate

verb
  1. biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed
  2. (tr) horticulture to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc
  3. (tr) to promulgate; disseminate
  4. physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a waveto propagate sound
  5. (tr) to transmit (characteristics) from one generation to the next
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Derived Formspropagation, nounpropagational, adjectivepropagative, adjective

Word Origin

C16: from Latin propāgāre to increase (plants) by cuttings, from propāgēs a cutting, from pangere to fasten
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 propagate

v.

1560s, "to cause to multiply," from Latin propagatus, past participle of propagare "to set forward, extend, procreate" (see propagation). Intransitive sense "reproduce one's kind" is from c.1600. Related: Propagated; propagating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
propagate in Medicine

propagate

(prŏp′ə-gāt′)
v.
  1. To cause an organism to multiply or breed.
  2. To breed offspring.
  3. To transmit characteristics from one generation to another.
  4. To cause to move in some direction or through a medium, such as a wave or nerve impulse.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.