English Reference
Noun

propagation

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US /ˌpɹɑpəˈɡeɪʃən/ UK /pɹˌɒpɐɡˈeɪʃən/ prop·a·ga·tion UK spelling propagations Physics Religion

n.the act of spreading something to a larger area or more people. It can describe how plants grow new ones, how news travels, or how sound moves through the air.

n.the act of spreading or transmitting something, such as an idea, a wave, or a biological organism, from one point to another. Often refers to the reproduction of plants or the movement of energy through a medium.


SIMPLE

The propagation of the news was very fast.

CONTEXTUAL

Gardeners use stem cuttings for the propagation of rare roses to ensure the new plants are identical to the original.

COMPLEX

The rapid propagation of misinformation across digital platforms has forced researchers to develop more sophisticated algorithms for real-time fact-checking and source verification.

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'of' to indicate what is being spread.

The synthetic images accurately reproduced the vortexes’ appearance and dynamics, including growth rate, distribution, and propagation speeds, which led the team to conclude their observations are most likely real.

Ars Technica· 7 Aug 2026

By combining material flow analysis with a multilayer shock propagation model, researchers found that risks often originate in upstream parts of the supply chain but become most severe at key refining and manufacturing bottlenecks.

ScienceDaily· 20 Jun 2026

From Middle French propagation, from Old French propagacion, from Latin propagatio. Morphologically propagate + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin propagatio
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated