1. (Bot.) Bearing offspring; -- applied to a flower from within which
another is produced, or to a branch or frond from which another rises,
or to a plant which is reproduced by buds or gemmÊ.
2. (Zoˆl.) (a) Producing young by budding. (b) Producing sexual zooids
by budding; -- said of the blastostyle of a hydroid. (c) Producing a
cluster of branchlets from a larger branch; -- said of corals.
Proliferous cyst (Med.), a cyst that produces highly-organized or even
vascular structures. Paget.
-- Pro*lif"er*ous*ly, adv.
Pro*lif"ic (?), a. [F. prolifique, fr. L. proles offspring (from pro
for, forward + the root of alere to nourish) + facere to make. See
Adult, Old, and Fact.]
1. Having the quality of generating; producing young or fruit;
generative; fruitful; productive; -- applied to plants producing fruit,
animals producing young, etc.; -- usually with the implied idea of
frequent or numerous production; as, a prolific tree, female, and the
like.
2. Serving to produce; fruitful of results; active; as, a prolific
brain; a controversy prolific of evil.