self-reproduction
nounUK /ˌself riːprəˈdʌkʃn/
US /ˌself riːprəˈdʌkʃn/
The way a living thing makes more of itself without needing a partner.
Bacteria use self-reproduction to create new cells very quickly.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In computing, a program's ability to make copies of itself.
The virus was designed for self-reproduction across the network.
3. In philosophy, the idea that something can cause itself to exist again.
The concept of self-reproduction raises questions about identity over time.
4. The process by which a system maintains and renews its own parts.
The factory's self-reproduction depends on machines that build other machines.