disseminate

verb

dis·​sem·​i·​nate di-ˈse-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce disseminate (audio)
disseminated; disseminating

transitive verb

1
: to spread abroad as though sowing seed
disseminate ideas
2
: to disperse throughout
disseminator noun

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Disseminating Information on Disseminate

While the object of the verb disseminate may be something tangible, such as an infectious agent, nowadays the thing most often disseminated, or "spread abroad as though sowing seed," is information. Where does this metaphorical verb come from? In Latin, the dis- prefix signifies separation or dispersal, while the -sem- element springs from semen "seed." The same Latin noun is found in a number of other English words with figurative meanings: seminary (which now is a training facility for priests, but initially was a place where seeds were raised to plants), seminal (meaning "containing the seeds of later development"), and yes, the word semen.

Examples of disseminate in a Sentence

He told me that as Commanding General [General David Petraeus] he believes he should not only direct battlefield action but also disseminate a few easy-to-grasp concepts about the war's prosecution, which subordinate officers can then interpret on their own. Steve Coll, New Yorker, 8 Sept. 2008
Jefferson helped found and back a friendly newspaper, the National Gazette, to help disseminate his views. Walter Kim, Time, 5 July 2004
In this case, the filmmakers did not prevent information from being disseminated. And they have no greater moral obligation than do the highly paid Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather to help a TV network keep down its costs. Randy Cohen, New York Times Magazine, 7 Oct. 2001
Although possession of virus software and source code is not illegal, many of the existing state and federal computer intrusion and unauthorized access laws already make it illegal to introduce a virus into someone's system intentionally. Robert Morris's conviction … shows how the existing laws might be used to punish those involved with disseminating viruses. Edward A. Cavazos et al., Cyberspace And The Law, 1994
The Internet allows us to disseminate information faster. The findings were widely disseminated.
Recent Examples on the Web Investigators said in previous court documents that Teixeira used his position as a systems administrator in the 102nd Intelligence Wing in the Massachusetts Air National Guard to obtain and then illegally disseminate classified military information on the online messaging platform Discord. Robert Legare, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Couturiers regained their ability to craft, design, and sell freely and, in doing so, disseminate their ideas to department stores and wardrobes across the world. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 What major technology companies such as Meta and Google have argued is that the responsibility for disseminating disinformation, especially content generated by AI, should fall on political parties and candidates. Angelica Mari, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Share Following the establishment of a unified repository of intelligent systems, organizations can disseminate this repository or grant access to it through the Service Intelligence 2.0 platform, thereby democratizing data previously dispersed across various silos. Amit Verma, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 News of Navalny’s sudden death on Feb. 16 in an Arctic penal colony was barely disseminated on state TV and radio channels, typically the only source of information for prisoners. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Such comments are disseminated with hashtags like #StopKillingMen and by social media influencers like Andrew Kibe, a men’s rights champion and former radio presenter whose YouTube account was shut down last year for violating the company’s terms of service. Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2024 Many Russian Telegram users also celebrated Elon Musk’s role in disseminating the interview: On his X profile, Musk pinned the interview and encouraged followers to watch. David Gilbert, WIRED, 9 Feb. 2024 His approach was more than just disseminating information, mentoring, and guiding students on their entrepreneurial journey. Kyle Russell, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disseminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin disseminatus, past participle of disseminare, from dis- + seminare to sow, from semin-, semen seed — more at semen

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disseminate was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near disseminate

Cite this Entry

“Disseminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disseminate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disseminate

verb
dis·​sem·​i·​nate dis-ˈem-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce disseminate (audio)
disseminated; disseminating
: to spread around as if sowing seed
disseminate ideas
dissemination noun
disseminator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disseminate

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