What does reproduce mean?
Reproduce means to make a copy, recreate something, or cause it to happen again. The word is especially common in scientific writing, where it describes repeating an experiment or recreating conditions so that a result can be tested. In general contexts, it can refer to copying an image, sound, design, or performance with considerable accuracy. Reproduce also has a biological sense: organisms reproduce by producing offspring, and scientists may reproduce earlier biological conditions in a laboratory. The verb comes from Latin reproducere, formed from re-, meaning “again,” and producere, meaning “bring forth” or “produce.” Its broad range of meanings connects the ordinary idea of duplication with the scientific ideas of replication and recurrence.
To produce a copy or recreate something with accuracy, or to cause a process or event to happen again.
"The team reproduced the failure on a different computer."
The sense of repeating a scientific experiment or recreating a condition is especially frequent in technical writing.
To produce offspring or young.
"The bacteria reproduce rapidly in the warm culture."
This is the standard biological sense of the word.
From the Latin prefix re-, meaning “again,” and producere, meaning “bring forth”: to reproduce is literally to bring something forth again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does reproduce come from?
Reproduce comes from Latin reproducere, meaning “bring forth again” or “produce anew.” It was formed from the prefix re-, meaning “again,” and producere, meaning “bring forth.” The word entered English in the early 17th century, initially referring to producing offspring, and later developed its broader meanings of copying and repeating an experiment or phenomenon. Its cognate produce and related forms preserve the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How reproduce is actually used
In scientific and technical contexts, reproduce often means to repeat an experiment or phenomenon and obtain similar results. In biology, it can mean either to produce offspring or to recreate a previous biological condition.
Easily confused with reproduce
Reproduce means to create a copy or cause something to recur, while reproduce can also be used more narrowly for organisms producing offspring; the same word serves both meanings.