propagate
verb
Did you know?
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." The word's meaning quickly extended from the realm of the farm and field to less material kinds of reproduction, such as the spreading of ideas and beliefs. The similarity between propagate and propaganda is not coincidental; that word also comes to us from propagare, although it took a more circuitous route.
Examples of propagate in a Sentence
Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2025
Those fears are propagating into the way homebuyers look at new properties, into the shopping and selection process and therefore the sales process, into land development, into economic impacts and on and on.
—Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
After taking your cuttings, propagate them in water or in soil with some rooting hormone.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2025
After five years, the pungency of Greek oregano wanes but the plant can easily be propagated from shoot tip cuttings.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for propagate 
Dictionary Entries Near propagate
Cite this Entry
“Propagate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propagate. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
propagate
verb
Medical Definition
propagate
verb
Share