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v. pro·lif·er·at·ed, pro·lif·er·at·ing, pro·lif·er·ates
v.intr.
1. To grow or multiply by rapidly producing new tissue, parts, cells, or offspring.
2. To increase or spread at a rapid rate: fears that nuclear weapons might proliferate.
v.tr.
To cause to grow or increase rapidly.
[Back-formation from proliferation, the act of proliferatingfrom French prolifération, from prolifère, procreative : Latin prls, prl-, offspring; see proliferous + Latin -fer, -fer.]
pro·lifer·ation n.
pro·lifer·ative adj.
pro·lifer·ator n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
proliferate
proliferate
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profligate
1526, "overthrown" (implied in profligation), from L. profligatus "destroyed, dissolute," pp. of profligare "to cast down, defeat, ruin," from pro- "down, forth" + fligere "to strike." Meaning "recklessly extravagant" is 1779, via notion of "ruined by vice" (1647).
Interesting how these two words had such different origins, but both ended up with meanings that indicate excess.proliferation
1867, "formation or development of cells," from Fr. proliferation, from prolifere "producing offspring," from L. proles "offspring" (see prolific) + ferre "to bear" (see infer). Meaning "enlargement, extension, increase" is from 1920; esp. of nuclear weapons (1966). Proliferate is a back-formation, first recorded 1873.
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