Word.ws English Dictionary

propagandum

propagandum noun: an idea or topic spread with the goal of convincing or influencing large numbers of people, regardless of its actual validity.

Noun

propagandum (plural propaganda)

  1. (archaic) An idea or topic spread with the goal of convincing or influencing large numbers of people, regardless of its actual validity.
    • From this point of view, as a propagandum of political freedom, Freemasonry is worthy of a profound study, and also entitled to the gratitude and reverence of all good and benevolent men. It has contributed largely to the social improvement of our race, and to the establishment of civil liberty.1864 June 24, Aug[ustus] C. L. Arnold, “The Festival of St. John the Baptist, and its Significance”, in Robert McMurdy, editor, The National Freemason, volume II, number 3, Washington, D.C....
    • The two per cent theory as to interest, to be effected by an interconvertible bond, which has been taken up and made a propagandum by the Farmers’ Alliance and a platform by the Populists, was originated by one Kellogg, the author of a book entitled “A New Economic System,” which appeared probably...1894 June, “Coxeyism and the Interest Question”, in George Gunton, editor, The Social Economist, volume VI, number 6, New York, N.Y.: […], page 346
  2. (archaic) A campaign to spread such an idea or topic.
    • Furthermore, groups of people with common interests, schools of thought, societies for promoting reform and other organizations have deepened the loyalty of their members and carried on a propagandum by means of summer gatherings. So, too, individual teachers with their assistants have gone to the...1904, George E[dgar] Vincent, “The Origin of Summer Schools”, in Summer Schools and University Extension (Nicholas Murray Butler, editor, Monographs on Education in the United States; 16), […] the...
    • Concluding, I shall venture to point out that, if our profession should fail to attain and to keep up a reasonable interest in this ultra-important matter, it will be made inevitably a reproach to it. Thus far, fortunately, it has not been made a subject either for a propagandum or for quackery...1907, Mississippi Valley Medical Monthly, volume 27, page 143

Examples of propagandum in a sentence

  • In State schools religion is permitted and sometimes welcomed, but not as a propagandum.1898, The Christian Advocate, volume 73, page 10, column 2:
  • For American citizenship is not a privilege; it is a propagandum.1901, Charles Ferguson, “The Axioms of the Affirmative Intellect”, in The Affirmative Intellect: An Account of the Origin and Mission of...
  • What they beheld was not a propagandum: it was John Kendry’s idea of how actually he best might make himself glad that he had lived.1907, Chester Bailey Fernald, “The Desert of Doubt”, in John Kendry’s Idea, New York, N.Y.: The Outing Publishing Company, page 215:
  • And this resurrection has been followed by an immense and ever increasing vitality, by a propagandum that extends to every kingdom, nation and tongue.1910, I[saac] M[assey] Haldeman, The Signs of the Times, 8th edition, New York, N.Y.: Francis Emory Fitch, Inc., page 310:

Forms of propagandum

pluralpropaganda

Origin of propagandum

From Latin prōpāgandum, neuter of prōpāgandus (“which is to be propagated”). Reinterpretation of the form propaganda as a plural, by analogy with e.g. memorandum.

Questions about propagandum

What does propagandum mean?
Propagandum means an idea or topic spread with the goal of convincing or influencing large numbers of people, regardless of its actual validity.
How do you use propagandum in a sentence?
In State schools religion is permitted and sometimes welcomed, but not as a propagandum.
What part of speech is propagandum?
Propagandum is a noun.
What is the plural of propagandum?
The plural of propagandum is propaganda.

Words near propagandum in the dictionary

  1. propagandizers
  2. propagandizes
  3. propagandizing
  4. propagandous
  5. propagands
  6. propagandum
  7. propagant
  8. propagants
  9. propagatable
  10. propagate
  11. propagated

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: propagandum (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “propagandum.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/propagandum. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.