- Main Entry:
- re·pro·duc·tion
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˌrē-prə-ˈdək-shən\
- Function:
- noun
- Date:
- 1659
1: the act or process of reproducing; specifically : the process by which plants and animals give rise to offspring and which fundamentally consists of the segregation of a portion of the parental body by a sexual or an asexual process and its subsequent growth and differentiation into a new individual2: something reproduced : copy3: young seedling trees in a forest
synonyms reproduction,
duplicate,
copy,
facsimile,
replica mean a thing made to closely resemble another.
reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing
<reproductions from the museum's furniture collection>.
duplicate implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to another thing
<a duplicate of a house key>.
copy applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced mechanically
<printed 1000 copies of the lithograph>.
facsimile suggests a close reproduction often of graphic matter that may differ in scale
<a facsimile of a rare book>.
replica implies the exact reproduction of a particular item in all details
<a replica of the Mayflower> but not always in the same scale
<miniature replicas of classic cars>.
