propagate

CEFRC1

/ˈpɹɒpəˌɡeɪt/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To spread an idea, message, or living thing widely.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate.

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.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpɹɔpəˌɡæɪt/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings
  1. To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production.

  2. To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space.

  3. To generate; to produce.

More examples

In context
  • It takes 24 hours for password changes to propagate throughout the system.

  • to propagate sound or light

  • June 1879, William Keith Brooks, Popular Science Monthly Volume 15 - The Condition of Women from a Zoological Point of View I A marked bud-variation is of very rare occurrence, but in many cases the tendency of plants raised from seeds to differ from the pare...

Quick test

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Nearby

Origin

verb

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.