proliferate
verb
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Proliferate is a back-formation of proliferation. That means that proliferation came first (we borrowed it from French in the 1700s), and was later shortened to form the verb. Proliferation originally referred to the botanical phenomenon of some plants having buds, flowers, or other parts that are adventitious—that is, that arise or occur sporadically or in other than the usual location (e.g. pitch pines’ ability to sprout new trees directly from their stumps after a fire). With advances in the study of biology in the 1800s, proliferation came to be used to refer to the rapid and repeated production of cells by division. That sense in turn begat the verb proliferate, which eventually came to be used when anything—whether living (such as yeast) or nonliving (such as data)—quickly increases or multiplies.
Synonyms
Examples of proliferate in a Sentence
Tom Wheeler, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025
The figure has commonly been seen as a reference to Laycock’s weight, and while that interpretation appeared in writings published by scholars and critics during Gonzalez-Torres’s lifetime, other readings also proliferated.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 29 Jan. 2025
Such claims can proliferate quickly, creating widespread misconceptions and undermining trust in legitimate scientific research and medical advice.
—Aimee Pugh Bernard, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
Anti-immigration rhetoric proliferated, as leaders around the world blamed immigrants for their countries’ problems.
—Michael Brenes, Foreign Affairs, 28 Jan. 2025
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Dictionary Entries Near proliferate
Cite this Entry
“Proliferate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proliferate. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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proliferate
verb
Medical Definition
proliferate
verb
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