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propagate

[ prop-uh-geyt ]
/ ˈprɒp əˌgeɪt /
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See synonyms for: propagate / propagated / propagates / propagating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.
verb (used without object), prop·a·gat·ed, prop·a·gat·ing.
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Origin of propagate

First recorded in 1560–70; from 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use propagate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propagate

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
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