n.
Pronunciation: ˌ r ē -pr ə - ' d ə k-sh ə n
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 individual
2 : something reproduced : COPY
3 : 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>.