Propagate Meaning
/ˈpɹɒpəˌɡeɪt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production.
verbTo cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space.
Sentence Examples
Humans are the vehicles that genes use to propagate themselves.
Sound needs matter to propagate through. However, cosmic noise and electromagnetic waves don't.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Gardeners take stem cuttings to ____ new rose bushes each spring in the nursery.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener used cuttings to ____ the rare plant and distribute it to botanical gardens worldwide.
Word Origin & History
First attested in 1535; from Latin prōpāgātus, perfect passive participle of prōpāgō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"There began to appear from the East, cropping up now here, now there, but in general along lines of advance towards the West, individuals or small communities who proposed and propagated a new and, as they called it, a purified form of religion."
— 1938, Hilaire Belloc, chapter 4, in The Great Heresies:
"The works of the freethinker Averroes (twelfth century) which were based on Aristotle's philosophy, propagated a small wave of rationalism in Christian countries."
— 1913, J. B. Bury, chapter 3, in A History of Freedom of Thought:
"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."
— 2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian:
"Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, / Which thou wilt propagate."
— c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
"But to [Edmund] Burke, […] the mere act of movement became the principle or cause of movement. Motion propagated motion, and life threw off life."
— 1860, Thomas De Quincey, “Conversation”, in Letters to a Young Man whose Education has been Neglected; and Other Papers (De Quincey’s Works; XIV), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, page 157:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Gardeners take stem cuttings to ____ new rose bushes each spring in the nursery.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The gardener used cuttings to ____ the rare plant and distribute it to botanical gardens worldwide.