disseminate

Definition

To sow and scatter principles, ideas, opinions, etc, or concrete things, for growth and propagation, like seeds.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dissēminātus, the perfect passive participle of dissēminō (“to broadcast, disseminate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), further from dis- (“asunder, in all directions”) + sēminō (“to plant, sow”), from sēmen (“seed”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See also Middle English disseminat(e) (“disseminated”).

Example Sentences

• "The values of the human rights movement have disseminated throughout the world."
• "As the missletoe is disseminated by birds, its existence depends on birds; and it may metaphorically be said to struggle with other fruit-bearing plants, in order to tempt birds to devour and thus disseminate its seeds rather than those of other plants. In these several senses, which pass into each other, I use for convenience sake the general term of struggle for existence."

Related Words