WikiWord

English

proliferation

/pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ · noun

Meaning

  1. The process by which an organism produces others of its kind; breeding, propagation, procreation, reproduction.
  2. The act of increasing, rising, or proliferating; augmentation, amplification, enlargement, escalation, aggrandizement.
  3. In particular, the spread (proliferating) of biochemical, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction to countries not originally involved in developing them.
  4. The result of building up; buildup, accretion.

Etymology / origin

Etymology tree French proliférer Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ation Middle French -ation French -ation French proliférationbor. English proliferation Borrowed from French prolifération.

Related words

Descendant words

Sources

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