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prop·a·gan·da

(prŏp′ə-găndə)

1. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.

2. Material disseminated by the advocates or opponents of a doctrine or cause: wartime propaganda.

[Earlier, organization for the propagation of a practice or point of view, from Propaganda, short for New Latin Sacra Congregātiō dē Prōpagandā Fidē, the Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith, a division of the Roman Curia established in 1622 to promote the evangelization of non-Christian peoples and the spread of the Roman Catholic Church in other Christian communities, from Latin prōpāgandā, ablative feminine gerundive of prōpāgāre, to propagate; see PROPAGATE.]

prop′a·gandism n.

prop′a·gandist n.

prop′a·gan·distic adj.

prop′a·gan·disti·cal·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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