propagation

/prɑpəˈgeɪʃɪn/

/prɒpəˈgeɪʃən/

Other forms: propagations

If your dog is about to have puppies, then she's engaged in the propagation of dogs, the creation of new life to further the species.

Propagation has two main uses, both having to do with multiplying something. If it's used in relation to creatures, that means that the creatures are multiplying — having kids. A synonym for this is procreation. You can also use propagation for anything that multiplies and spreads through larger and larger numbers or spaces — from the propagation of weeds in your garden to the propagation of a new idea. In physics, propagation is wave movement.

Definitions of propagation

1. noun

   the act of producing offspring or multiplying by such production
   synonyms: generation, multiplication

   types:

   biogenesis, biogeny

   the production of living organisms from other living organisms

   type of:

   breeding, facts of life, procreation, reproduction

   the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring
2. noun

   the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions
   synonyms: extension

   type of:

   airing, dissemination, public exposure, spreading

   the opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate
3. noun

   the movement of a wave through a medium
   types:

   Doppler effect, Doppler shift

   change in the apparent frequency of a wave as observer and source move toward or away from each other

   red shift, redshift

   (astronomy) a shift in the spectra of very distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths (toward the red end of the spectrum); generally interpreted as evidence that the universe is expanding

   wave front

   all the points just reached by a wave as it propagates

   type of:

   physical phenomenon

   a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy