Etymograph

English

pullulate

Pullulate comes from Latin pullulātus ‘spread, having been spread’, from pullulō ‘sprout forth’, and ultimately from pullus ‘young animal’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullus1‘young animal’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulus2‘a young animal, a sprout’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulō2‘sprout forth’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulātus2‘spread, having been spread’perfect passive participle of pullulō
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1945pullulate2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin pullulus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English pullulate
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1945, Evelyn Waugh, London: Chapman & Hall: “I must say the whole of Oxford has become…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullusWiktionary, Latin pullulus‘young animal’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulusWiktionary, English pullulate‘a young animal, a sprout’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulōWiktionary, English pullulate‘sprout forth’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpullulātusWiktionary, English pullulate‘spread, having been spread’perfect passive participle of pullulō
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1945pullulateWiktionary, English pullulate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1945, Evelyn Waugh, London: Chapman & Hall: “I must say the whole of Oxford has become…”

Linked words

through Latin pullus ‘young animal’

pony, poultry, poussin, poulter, 12 more

Today it means

verb To multiply rapidly.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pullulate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin pullulus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin pullus / pullulate

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