Prolific

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ËŒpɹəˈlɪf.ɪk/, /ËŒpɹoʊˈlɪf.ɪk/

Alternative forms

• prolifick (obsolete)

Origin

1640-1650: from French prolifique, from Latin proles ("offspring") and facere ("to make").

Full definition of prolific

Adjective

1. Fertile, producing offspring or fruit in abundance — applied to plants producing fruit, animals producing young, etc.
2. Similarly producing results or works in abundance
• 2012, September 7, Dominic Fifield, England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova, The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the Chelsea midfielder's 11 in World Cup qualification ties, with this a display to roll back the years.

Synonyms

• fertile
• (fertile, producing offspring or fruit in abundance) fecund
• (producing results or works in abundance) See also

Derived terms

• prolificacy
• prolifically
• prolificity
• prolificness