pullulate

American  

[puhl-yuh-leyt] / ˈpʌl yəˌleɪt /

verb (used without object)

pullulated, pullulating

1. to send forth sprouts, buds, etc.; germinate; sprout.

2. to breed, produce, or create rapidly.

3. to increase rapidly; multiply.

4. to exist abundantly; swarm; teem.

5. to be produced as offspring.

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pullulate British  

/ ˈpʌljʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (of animals, etc) to breed rapidly or abundantly; teem; swarm

2. (of plants or plant parts) to sprout, bud, or germinate

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Other Word Forms

• pullulation noun

Etymology

Origin of pullulate

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin pullulāt(us) (past participle of pullulāre “to sprout, bring forth young”), derivative of pullulus “a sprout, nestling, chick,” diminutive of pullus “foal, young of an animal”; pullet

Example Sentences

Those of us in my trade should remember it can generate communities and pullulate with kindness and creativity rather than conspiracy and contempt.

From BBC

Merriam-Webster, the dictionary that Scripps relies on, says the definition of pullulate includes both “to breed or produce freely” and to “swarm, teem.”

From New York Times

Willows pullulate with blotchy foliage that recalls her fellow Austrian Gustav Klimt.

From New York Times

The artist collaborated with Japanese scientists who can translate M.R.I. scans into pictures, and the resultant, restless impressions of brain activity mutate and pullulate from frame to frame.

From New York Times

Records attesting to his death were pullulating like insect eggs and verifying each other beyond all contendon.

From Literature