E. H. Barger & L. E. CardR. E. Wolseley
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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
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.
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
By contrast, the appeals court noted that Adam had privately submitted his complaint to the Minnesota Board of Social Work only, and did not disseminate it to the public generally, such that there was no proof that Ashley's reputation had been harmed at all.
—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
The infection progressed into sepsis, then disseminated intravascular coagulation, followed by hours of hemorrhagic shock.
—
Maveah Griffith,
Charlotte Observer,
18 June 2026
All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, or its parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium.
—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for disseminate
Cite this Entry
“Disseminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disseminate. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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disseminate
verb
