reproduction (n.)

1650s, "act of forming again," noun of action from reproduce. Of living organisms, "process by which new individuals are generated and species perpetuated," by 1782. The meaning "process of reproducing sounds" is by 1908. The meaning "a copy, a counterpart" is from 1807; in 20c. especially "something made in the style of an earlier period."

updated on August 31, 2022