[syn: shoot, spud, germinate, pullulate, bourgeon, burgeon forth, sprout]
4. become abundant; increase rapidly;
5. breed freely and abundantly;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Pullulate \Pul"lu*late\, v. i. [L. pullulatus, p. p. of
pullulare to sprout, from pullulus a young animal, a sprout,
dim. of pullus. See pullet.]
To germinate; to bud; to multiply abundantly. --Warburton.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
pullulate
v 1: be teeming, be abuzz; "The garden was swarming with bees";
"The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen"; "her mind
pullulated with worries" [syn: teem, pullulate,
swarm]
2: move in large numbers; "people were pouring out of the
theater"; "beggars pullulated in the plaza" [syn: pour,
swarm, stream, teem, pullulate]
3: produce buds, branches, or germinate; "the potatoes sprouted"
[syn: shoot, spud, germinate, pullulate, bourgeon,
burgeon forth, sprout]
4: become abundant; increase rapidly
5: breed freely and abundantly