propagate

[ prop-uh-geyt ]

/ ˈprɒp əˌgeɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR propagate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock.

to reproduce (itself, its kind, etc.), as an organism does.

to transmit (hereditary features or elements) to, or through, offspring.

to spread (a report, doctrine, practice, etc.) from person to person; disseminate.

to cause to increase in number or amount.

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.

verb (used without object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

to multiply by any process of natural reproduction, as organisms; breed.

to increase in extent, as a structural flaw: The crack will propagate only to this joint.

(of electromagnetic waves, compression waves, etc.) to travel through space or a physical medium.

Words nearby propagate

propaedeutic, propagable, propaganda, propagandist, propagandize, propagate, propagation, propagative, propagator, propagule, propane

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

OTHER WORDS FROM propagate

prop·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, adjective

self-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. 2019

Examples from the Web for propagates

That's all fine and dandy, except that it propagates a potentially false story from an unsavory source.
How Israeli Government Officials Fueled A Conspiracy Website Story About Iran|Ali Gharib|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It propagates easily by root shoots which is the principal mode of spreading, except where the seed fall on exposed soil.
Trees of Indiana|Charles Clemon Deam
Like the common Daffodil it propagates very fast by the roots, and will thrive in almost any soil or situation.
The Botanical Magazine, Vol. I|William Curtis
It propagates by minute zoospores, by large quiescent spores, or by large active spores clothed with cilia.
Sea-Weeds, Shells and Fossils|Peter Gray

How indestructibly the good grows, and propagates itself, even among the weedy entanglements of evil!
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
Nothing,—not a grain of dust; but it matters much what are the sentiments he propagates.
Zicci, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for propagates

propagate

/ (ˈprɒpəˌɡeɪt) /

verb

biology to reproduce or cause to reproduce; breed

(tr) horticulture to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc

(tr) to promulgate; disseminate

physics to move through, cause to move through, or transmit, esp in the form of a waveto propagate sound

(tr) to transmit (characteristics) from one generation to the next

Derived forms of propagate

propagation, nounpropagational, adjectivepropagative, adjective

Word Origin for propagate

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

Medicine definitions for propagates

propagate

[ prŏp′ə-gāt′ ]

v.

To cause an organism to multiply or breed.

To breed offspring.

To transmit characteristics from one generation to another.

To cause to move in some direction or through a medium, such as a wave or nerve impulse.

propagate

verb (used with object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

verb (used without object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.

Content related to propagate

Words related to propagate

Words nearby propagate

Origin of propagate

OTHER WORDS FROM propagate

Examples from the Web for propagates

British Dictionary definitions for propagates

verb

Derived forms of propagate

Word Origin for propagate

Medicine definitions for propagates

v.