Reproductive

How to spell reproductive

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce reproductive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does reproductive mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the biological process of producing offspring, or to the ability to generate copies or new things.

Reproductive in a sentence

• The clinic specialises in reproductive health and fertility advice.

• The documentary explained the reproductive cycle of salmon returning upstream.

Where does reproductive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word reproductive is built from the Latin verb reproducere, which combines re- (again), pro- (forth), and ducere (to lead or bring). Literally it means 'to lead forth again', and so 'to produce once more'. The base producere gave English 'produce' and 'product', while the same ducere root also runs through 'conduct', 'induce', and 'aqueduct', all carrying that sense of leading or drawing along. The noun reproduction appeared in English in the 1600s for the act of producing offspring or copies, and the adjective reproductive followed soon after to describe the organs and processes involved in generating new life. The spelling is largely transparent if you trace it back to 'reproduce'; the trap is simply remembering the central 'duct', the same chunk that means a channel or pipe, rather than writing a vague 'duc' or 'dect'.

How the word is built

• re- (again)
• pro- (forth)
• duct (from Latin ducere, to lead)
• -ive (adjective suffix)