reproduction

[ ree-pruh-duhk-shuhn ]
See synonyms for reproduction on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or process of reproducing.

  2. the state of being reproduced.

  1. something made by reproducing an original; copy; duplicate: a photographic reproduction; a reproduction of a Roman vase.

  2. Biology. the natural process among organisms by which new individuals are generated and the species perpetuated.

Origin of reproduction

1
First recorded in 1650–60; re- + production

Other words for reproduction

Other words from reproduction

  • non·re·pro·duc·tion, noun
  • self-re·pro·duc·tion, noun

Words Nearby reproduction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reproduction in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reproduction

reproduction

/ (ˌriːprəˈdʌkʃən) /


noun
  1. biology any of various processes, either sexual or asexual, by which an animal or plant produces one or more individuals similar to itself

    • an imitation or facsimile of a work of art, esp of a picture made by photoengraving

    • (as modifier): a reproduction portrait Sometimes shortened to: repro

  1. the quality of sound from an audio system: this amplifier gives excellent reproduction

  2. the act or process of reproducing

  3. the state of being reproduced

  4. a revival of an earlier production, as of a play

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for reproduction

reproduction

[ rē′prə-dŭkshən ]


  1. The process by which cells and organisms produce other cells and organisms of the same kind.♦ The reproduction of organisms by the union of male and female reproductive cells (gametes) is called sexual reproduction. Many unicellular and most multicellular organisms reproduce sexually.♦ Reproduction in which offspring are produced by a single parent, without the union of reproductive cells, is called asexual reproduction. The fission (splitting) of bacterial cells and the cells of multicellular organisms by mitosis is a form of asexual reproduction, as is the budding of yeast cells and the generation of clones by runners in plants. Many plants and fungi are capable of reproducing both sexually and asexually, as are some animals, such as sponges and aphids.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.