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Webster 1913 Edition


Propagate

Prop′a-gate

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Propagated
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Propagating
.]
[L.
propagatus
, p. p. of
propagare
to propagate, akin to
propages
,
propago
, a layer of a plant, slip, shoot. See
Pro-
, and cf.
Pact
,
Prop
,
Prune
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; – applied to animals and plants;
as, to
propagate
a breed of horses or sheep; to
propagate
a species of fruit tree.
2.
To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space;
as, to
propagate
sound or light
.
3.
To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate;
as, to
propagate
a story or report; to
propagate
the Christian religion.
The infection was
propagated
insensibly.
De Foe.
4.
To multiply; to increase.
[Obs.]
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt
propagate
.
Shakespeare
5.
To generate; to produce.
Motion
propagated
motion, and life threw off life.
De Quincey.
Syn. – To multiply; continue; increase; spread; diffuse; disseminate; promote.

Prop′a-gate

,
Verb.
I.
To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants;
as, rabbits
propagate
rapidly
.
No need that thou
Should’st
propagate
, already infinite.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Propagate

PROP'AGATE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. propago. See Prop. The Latin noun propago, is the English prop, and the termination ago, as in cartilago, &c. The sense of the noun is that which is set or thrust in.]
1.
To continue or multiply the kind by generation or successive production; applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate any species of fruit tree.
2.
To spread; to extend; to impel or continue forward in space; as, to propagate sound or light.
3.
To spread from person to person; to extend; to give birth to, or originate and spread; as, to propagate a story or report.
4.
To carry from place to place; to extend by planting and establishing in places before destitute; as, to propagate the christian religion.
5.
To extend; to increase.
Griefs of my own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate.
6.
To generate; to produce.
Superstitious notions, propagated in fancy, are hardly ever totally eradicated.

PROP'AGATE

,
Verb.
I.
To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants. Wild horses propagate in the forests of S. America.

Definition 2024


propagate

propagate

English

Verb

propagate (third-person singular simple present propagates, present participle propagating, simple past and past participle propagated)

  1. (transitive) To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; -- applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate a species of fruit tree.
  2. (transitive) To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space; as, to propagate sound or light.
  3. (transitive) To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate
    • Daniel Defoe
      The infection was propagated insensibly.
    • 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian:
      The DPRK propagated an extraordinary tale of his birth occurring on Mount Baekdu, one of Korea's most revered sites, being accompanied by shooting stars in the sky. It is more likely that he was born in a small village in the USSR, while his father was serving as a Soviet-backed general during the second world war.
  4. (obsolete, transitive) To multiply; to increase.
    • Shakespeare
      Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, / Which thou wilt propagate.
  5. (transitive) To generate; to produce.
    • De Quincey
      Motion propagated motion, and life threw off life.
  6. (intransitive) To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants; as, rabbits propagate rapidly.
  7. (intransitive, computing) To take effect on all relevant devices in a network.
    It takes 24 hours for password changes to propagate throughout the system.
  8. (transitive, computing) To cause to take effect on all relevant devices in a network.
    The server propagates the password file at midnight each day.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • propagate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Ido

Verb

propagate

  1. adverbial present passive participle of propagar

Italian

Verb

propagate

  1. second-person plural present indicative of propagare
  2. second-person plural imperative of propagare
  3. feminine plural of propagato

Anagrams


Latin

Verb

prōpāgāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of prōpāgō