pullulate

verb

pul·lu·late | \ ˈpəl-yə-ˌlāt

How to pronounce pullulate (audio)

\

pullulated; pullulating

Definition of pullulate

intransitive verb

1a : germinate, sprout

b : to breed or produce freely the country's pullulating population

2 : swarm, teem the island pullulated with tourists

Other Words from pullulate Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about pullulate

Keep scrolling for more

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.

Examples of pullulate in a Sentence

a tough city neighborhood that has a reputation for pullulating with prostitutes and petty criminals

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about pullulate

Listen to Our Podcast about pullulate

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near pullulate

pull up a chair

Statistics for pullulate

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for pullulate

The first known use of pullulate was in 1619

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for pullulate

pullulate

intransitive verb

pul·lu·late | \ ˈpəl-yə-ˌlāt

\

pullulated; pullulating

Medical Definition of pullulate

1 : to bud or sprout

2 : to breed or produce freely

Comments on pullulate

What made you want to look up pullulate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

propitious

likely to have or produce good results

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ