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pullulate

 - 4 dictionary results

pul⋅lu⋅late

  [puhl-yuh-leyt]
Use pullulate in a Sentence
–verb (used without object), -lat⋅ed, -lat⋅ing.
1. to send forth sprouts, buds, etc.; germinate; sprout.
2. to breed, produce, or create rapidly.
3. to increase rapidly; multiply.
4. to exist abundantly; swarm; teem.
5. to be produced as offspring.
Origin:
1610–20; < L pullulātus (ptp. of pullulāre to sprout), deriv. of pullulus a sprout, young animal, dim. of pullus; see pullet

Related forms:
pul⋅lu⋅la⋅tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pul·lu·late   (pŭl'yə-lāt')   
intr.v.   pul·lu·lat·ed, pul·lu·lat·ing, pul·lu·lates

  1. To put forth sprouts or buds; germinate.

  2. To breed rapidly or abundantly.

  3. To teem; swarm: a lagoon that pullulated with tropical fish.


[Latin pullulāre, pullulāt-, from pullulus, diminutive of pullus, young fowl; see pullet.]
pul'lu·la'tion n., pul'lu·la'tive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pullulate 
1619, from L. pullulatus, pp. of pullulare "grow, sprout," from pullulus, dim. of pullus "young animal."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pul·lu·late
Pronunciation: 'p&l-y&-"lAt
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: -lat·ed;-lat·ing
1 : to bud or sprout
2 : to breed or produce freely —pul·lu·la·tion /"p&l-y&-'lA-sh&n/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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