pullulate
Breed in abundance
To pullulate is to multiply rapidly, to teem or swarm.
The word suggests abundant, almost excessive proliferation—bacteria pullulating in a wound, ideas pullulating in a fertile mind.
It can also mean to sprout or bud, reflecting its root sense of germination: Mushrooms pullulated from the rotting log.
The word is literary and somewhat rare, typically appearing in contexts emphasizing uncontrolled growth or profusion.
Overflow with abundance
- swarmMass of moving insects
- throngDense pressing crowd
- infestOccupy harmfully en masse
- crawlMove slowly, low
bristle · abound · overrun · crowd · cluster · congregate · flock · mass
Copy or breed
- spawnAquatic eggs or generate
- germinateBegin plant development
- propagateSpread or breed further
- breedCultivated variety of animal
multiply · hatch · incubate · brood · fertilize · beget · conceive · proliferate
teem
Overflow with abundance
crawl · bristle · abound · overrun · crowd · cluster · congregate · flock · mass · horde
reproduce
Copy or breed
breed · multiply · hatch · incubate · brood · fertilize · beget · conceive · proliferate · generate
sprout
New plant emergence
burgeon · bloom · blossom · spring up · emerge · grow · develop · unfold · put forth · vegetate
teeming
Abundantly full of
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- brimmingFull to the top
- profuseExtremely abundant, overflowing
rife · rampant · luxuriant · exuberant · fecund · prolific · fertile · lush · replete · thick