Promulgate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɒml̩.ɡeɪt/

Definitions

1. To officially announce, disseminate, or promote something, particularly laws or principles, to ensure widespread awareness and acceptance
2. The act of making something widely known or distributed, especially in a formal context, such as legal announcements or policies
3. To formally declare or make something known to the public, often involving official or legal contexts

Etymology: The most striking thing about "promulgate" is that its Latin ancestor may have meant "to milk." The Roman verb "prōmulgō" could derive from "mulgeō," meaning to milk, with "pro" ("forth") added, giving a sense of bringing something forth. The alternative proposed origin is "provulgō," meaning to make known or publish, built from "pro" and "vulgō," "to publish." Scholars do not settle the question, so the milking sense remains a possibility rather than a certainty. Either way, the Latin word meant to make something known to the public. English took it up in the Middle Ages, when it was borrowed from Latin "prōmulgātus," the past participle of "prōmulgō." Its doublet, "promulge," came into English through French, so the two forms share a root but arrived by different routes.

Synonyms: proclaim, announce, declare, publish, disseminate

Antonyms: suppress, withhold, conceal, repress, restrict