proliferate

 
Pronunciation: /prəˈlɪfəreɪt/

verb

[no object]
  • increase rapidly in number; multiply: the science-fiction magazines which proliferated in the 1920s
  • (of a cell, structure, or organism) reproduce rapidly: cultured cells often proliferate indefinitely
  • [with object] cause (cells, tissue, structures, etc.) to reproduce rapidly: electromagnetic radiation can only proliferate cancers already present

Derivatives

proliferative

Pronunciation: /-rətɪv/
adjective

proliferator

noun

Origin:

late 19th century: back-formation from proliferation