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SPREADING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time
Synonyms:
spread; spreading
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):
extension (act of expanding in scope; making more widely available)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):
circulation (the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area)
diffusion; dispersal; dispersion; dissemination (the act of dispersing or diffusing something)
scatter; scattering; strewing (the act of scattering)
decentralisation; decentralization (the spread of power away from the center to local branches or governments)
Derivation:
spread (distribute or disperse widely)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The opening of a subject to widespread discussion and debate
Synonyms:
airing; dissemination; public exposure; spreading
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):
transmission (communication by means of transmitted signals)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):
circulation (the dissemination of copies of periodicals (as newspapers or magazines))
extension; propagation (the spreading of something (a belief or practice) into new regions)
Derivation:
spread (cause to become widely known)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
Synonyms:
spread; spreading
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("spreading" is a kind of...):
change of location; travel (a movement through space that changes the location of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "spreading"):
diffusion (the spread of social institutions (and myths and skills) from one society to another)
dispersion; scattering (spreading widely or driving off)
invasion ((pathology) the spread of pathogenic microorganisms or malignant cells to new sites in the body)
irradiation ((physiology) the spread of sensory neural impulses in the cortex)
radiation (the spread of a group of organisms into new habitats)
Derivation:
spread (spread across or over)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb spread
Context examples:
Jupiter, the planet of good fortune, is now settled into your tenth house of honors, awards, and achievement, spreading his sunshine.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Several treatments may prevent the virus from spreading from you to your baby.
(HIV/AIDS and Pregnancy, NIH)
A drug that blocks the hormone endothelin and may prevent prostate cancer from spreading to the bones.
(Endothelin receptor antagonist, NCI Dictionary)
What a golden desert this spreading moor!
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
There is no occasion for spreading the disappointment; say nothing about it yourself.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
I covered it carefully with dry wood and leaves and placed wet branches upon it; and then, spreading my cloak, I lay on the ground and sank into sleep.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Termites might not top the list of humanity's favorite insects, but new research suggests that their large dirt mounds are crucial to stopping deserts from spreading into semi-arid ecosystems.
(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)
The reduction of potentiation prevents cortical seizure foci spreading to adjacent areas, stabilizing the threshold against hyperexcitability.
(Phenytoin, NCI Thesaurus)
RSV F protein, a small envelop glycoprotein, is not only required for cytopathic syncytia resulting from cell-to-cell fusion, but is also necessary for viral spreading and evading neutralizing antibody.
(Palivizumab, NCI Thesaurus)
Mantle plumes are thought to be narrow streams of hot rock rising through Earth's mantle and spreading out like a mushroom cap under the crust.
(Hot News from the Antarctic Underground, NASA)
