spreading
n. uncountablen. the act of something opening out or moving to cover a larger area. You use this when talking about how ideas, news, or even a virus moves from person to person.
n. the act or process of expanding, distributing, or diffusing something over a wider area or among a larger number of people. Often used in medical, sociological, or physical contexts to describe the progression of a phenomenon.
The spreading of the news took only a few minutes.
Health officials are working hard to prevent the further spreading of the virus throughout the local community.
The rapid spreading of democratic ideals across the continent during that decade was facilitated by the sudden availability of cheap, mobile printing presses.
By surface analysis, spread + -ing.
Blend of speed + reading.
Typically functions as a gerund-noun; often followed by the preposition 'of' to indicate the subject being distributed.