Propagation

ˌprɒpəˈɡeɪʃən

nounmedium📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

The act or process of reproducing, spreading, or increasing, especially from a source.

ˌprɒpəˈɡeɪʃən

nounneutralmedium
General

The act or process of spreading or multiplying, especially from a source.

The propagation of fake news on social media is a growing concern.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're sharing a cool idea with your friends, and then they share it with their friends, and so on. That's like propagation! It's how things, like plants or information, spread and increase.

👶 For kids: When something grows and spreads, like a plant making new plants.

More Examples

2

The company's marketing efforts resulted in the rapid propagation of their brand awareness.

3

Scientists are studying the propagation of sound waves in different materials.

How It's Used

Biology

"The propagation of plants through cuttings allows for cloning of desirable traits."

Communication

"The propagation of rumors can quickly lead to misinformation and anxiety."

Physics

"The propagation of electromagnetic waves is essential for radio communication."

From Latin *propāgātiō* ("a breeding, propagation"), from *propāgō* ("to propagate, spread, extend"), from *prō-* ("forth, forward") + *pangere* ("to fasten, fix").

The term has been used since the 15th century, originally in a biological context, before expanding to other fields.

Memory tip

Think of spreading out like seeds in the wind; propagation helps things multiply.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"to propagate, extend, spread"

propagation of informationpropagation of rumorspropagation of lightpropagation of diseaseradio wave propagation

Common misspellings

propogationpropagasion

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written