Proliferation

//pɹəˌlɪf.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The process by which an organism produces others of its kind; breeding, propagation, procreation, reproduction. uncountable
  2. 2
    growth by the rapid multiplication of parts wordnet
  3. 3
    The act of increasing, rising, or proliferating; augmentation, amplification, enlargement, escalation, aggrandizement. countable

    "One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools[…]as children, teachers or school buildings become the targets of attacks. Parents fear sending their children to school. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence."

  4. 4
    a rapid increase in number (especially a rapid increase in the number of deadly weapons) wordnet
  5. 5
    The act of increasing, rising, or proliferating; augmentation, amplification, enlargement, escalation, aggrandizement.; In particular, the spread (proliferating) of biochemical, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction to countries not originally involved in developing them. uncountable

    "... to combat proliferation by assisting them in gaining and assuring greater control over their dual-use equipment and technology. States that gain weapons of mass destruction are able to pose a significant military threat to the[…]"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    The result of building up; buildup, accretion. countable

Etymology

Borrowed from French prolifération.

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Want a quick game? Try Word Finder.