reproduction
UK[ˌriːprəˈdʌkʃn]US[ˌriːprəˈdʌkʃn]
n
the act or process of producing babies, young animals, or plants
n
the act or process of making a copy of something
n
a copy of a work of art, piece of furniture, etc.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
production
re
again
production
the act of making
Etymology
the word reproduction is a modern english formation, built upon the earlier noun 'production'. the latin prefix 're-', signifying repetition, was attached to 'production', which itself stems from latin 'producere' (to lead or bring forth). thus, the literal sense is "the act of bringing forth again". this logic perfectly maps to its core meanings: the biological process of generating new offspring (bringing forth life again) and the manufacturing of copies (bringing forth an object again). it elegantly captures the concept of creating a subsequent or duplicate instance of an original.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + production (the act of making)
re- is a prefix of Latin origin meaning "again" or "back". production is a noun of Latin origin, from 'producere' (to bring forth), where 'pro-' means "forward" and '-ducere' means "to lead".
Examples
the reproduction of these rare birds in captivity is a major conservation success.
the museum shop sells high-quality reproductions of famous paintings.
digital technology has revolutionized the reproduction of sound and images.