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Propagate vs Profligate - What's the difference?

propagate | profligate |

As verbs the difference between propagate and profligate

is that propagate is to cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; -- applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate a species of fruit tree while profligate is (obsolete) to drive away; to overcome.

As an adjective profligate is

(obsolete) overthrown, ruined.

As a noun profligate is

an abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.

propagate

English

Verb

  • To cause to continue or multiply by generation, or successive production; -- applied to animals and plants; as, to propagate a breed of horses or sheep; to propagate a species of fruit tree.
  • To cause to spread to extend; to impel or continue forward in space; as, to propagate sound or light.
  • To spread from person to person; to extend the knowledge of; to originate and spread; to carry from place to place; to disseminate
  • * Daniel Defoe
  • The infection was propagated insensibly.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=December 19 , author=Kerry Brown , title=Kim Jong-il obituary , work=The Guardian citation , page= , passage=The DPRK propagated an extraordinary tale of his birth occurring on Mount Baekdu, one of Korea's most revered sites, being accompanied by shooting stars in the sky. It is more likely that he was born in a small village in the USSR, while his father was serving as a Soviet-backed general during the second world war.}}
  • (obsolete) To multiply; to increase.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast, / Which thou wilt propagate .
  • To generate; to produce.
  • * De Quincey
  • Motion propagated motion, and life threw off life.
  • To have young or issue; to be produced or multiplied by generation, or by new shoots or plants; as, rabbits propagate rapidly.
  • (computing) To take effect on all relevant devices in a network.
  • It takes 24 hours for password changes to propagate throughout the system.
  • (computing) To cause to take effect on all relevant devices in a network.
  • The server propagates the password file at midnight each day.

    Derived terms

    * propagation * propagator

    References

    * ----

    profligate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) Overthrown, ruined.
  • * Hudibras
  • The foe is profligate , and run.
  • Inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly.
  • * 2013 , Ben Smith, "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24503988]", BBC Sport , 19 October 2013:
  • Jay Rodriguez headed over and Dani Osvaldo might have done better with only David De Gea to beat and, as Southampton bordered on the profligate , United were far more ruthless.
  • Immoral; abandoned to vice.
  • * Roscommon
  • a race more profligate than we
  • * Dryden
  • Made prostitute and profligate muse.

    Synonyms

    * (inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly) extravagant, wasteful, prodigal * immoral, licentious * See also

    Derived terms

    * profligateness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An abandoned person; one openly and shamelessly vicious; a dissolute person.
  • An overly wasteful or extravagant individual.
  • Synonyms

    * (overly wasteful or extravagant individual) wastrel * See also and

    Verb

    (profligat)
  • (obsolete) To drive away; to overcome.
  • * 1840 , Alexander Walker, Woman Physiologically Considered as to Mind, Morals, Marriage, Matrimonial Slavery, Infidelity and Divorce , page 157:
  • Such a stipulation would remove one powerful temptation to profligate pennyless seducers, of whom there are too many prowling in the higher circles ;

    Synonyms

    * overcome