Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Proliferous \Pro*lif"er*ous\, a. [L. proles offspring +
   -ferous.]
   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 gemm[ae].

   2. (Zo["o]l.)
      (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.