Pullulating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To breed or multiply swiftly in great numbers while indicating a sense of vibrancy or life
2. To increase or grow abundantly and quickly, often suggesting a lively or active process
3. To produce or expand in large quantities within a short time frame, showing vigorous life

Etymology: "Pullulating" is the present participle of "pullulate," which is borrowed directly from the Latin verb "pullulō," meaning "sprout forth." That verb grows from "pullulus," a diminutive of "pullus," which meant a young animal, such as a chick or foal, and also a shoot. So the word's core image is of something young and tender pushing out new life. The sense of teeming abundance came later, as the verb moved from plants to creatures. Its earliest English uses kept the botanical flavour of budding and sprouting, and only gradually shifted toward the swarming of animals and insects, and then toward any large, busy multiplication. Today it often describes a crowd, a city, or an idea that seems to be spreading on its own.

Synonyms: proliferating, multiplied, breeding, spawning, teeming

Antonyms: diminishing, decreasing, fading, stagnating, dying