The origins of propagate are firmly rooted in the field of horticulture. The word is a 16th century Latin borrowing, ultimately from the verb propagare, which means "to set (onto a plant) a small shoot or twig cut for planting or grafting."
Definition of propagate verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. [transitive] propagate something (formal) to spread an idea, a belief or a piece of information among many people. Television advertising propagates a false image of the ideal family.
To cause (an organism) to multiply or breed. 2. To breed (offspring). 3. To transmit (characteristics) from one generation to another. 4. To cause to extend to a broader area or larger number; spread: missionaries who propagate the faith. 5. To make widely known; publicize: propagate a rumor. 6.
If people propagate an idea or piece of information, they spread it and try to make people believe it or support it. They propagated political doctrines which promised to tear apart the fabric of our society. [VERB noun] If you propagate plants, you grow more of them from the original ones.
To propagate is to be fruitful and multiply, by the usual routes of reproduction, or by spreading something around — like a rumor. Propagate comes from the Latin word propagare, which means "to reproduce plants, breed."
propagate (third-person singular simple present propagates, present participle propagating, simple past and past participle propagated) (transitive, of animals or plants) To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production. quotations
prop•a•gate /ˈprɑpəˌgeɪt/ v., -gat•ed, -gat•ing. Developmental Biology, Genetics to (cause to) multiply or increase by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock: [~ + object] to propagate seeds; These flowers will propagate themselves. [no object] The insects propagated vigorously.
PROPAGATE definition: to cause (an organism) to multiply by any process of natural reproduction from the parent stock. See examples of propagate used in a sentence.
