Definition of pullulate
pullulated;
pullulating
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pullulate was our Word of the Day on 03/28/2010. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of pullulate in a Sentence
a tough city neighborhood that has a reputation for pullulating with prostitutes and petty criminals
Did You Know?
To remember the history of "pullulate," think chickens. This may sound like odd advice, but it makes sense if you know that "pullulate" traces ultimately to the Latin noun pullus, which means not only "sprout," but also "young of an animal" and, specifically, "chick." "Pullus" is also an ancestor of "pullet" ("young hen"), "poult" (meaning "young fowl" and especially "young turkey"), and even "poultry" ("domesticated fowl"). At first "pullulate" referred to sprouting, budding, and breeding around the farm; only later did it gain its "swarm" sense.
Origin and Etymology of pullulate
Latin pullulatus, past participle of pullulare, from pullulus, diminutive of pullus chicken, sprout — more at foal
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 1619
in the meaning defined at sense 1a
See Words from the same yearMedical Dictionary
medical Definition of pullulate
pullulated;
pullulating
1
: to bud or sprout
2
: to breed or produce freely
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