reduplication
noun
re·du·pli·ca·tion
ri-ˌdü-pli-ˈkā-shən 
ˌrē-,
-ˈdyü-
1
: an act or instance of doubling or reiterating
2
a
: an often grammatically functional repetition of a radical element or a part of it occurring usually at the beginning of a word and often accompanied by change of the radical vowel
b(1)
: a word or form produced by reduplication
(2)
: the repeated element in such a word or form
3
reduplicatively
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of reduplication in a Sentence
that old-looking colonial mansion is actually a 20th-century reduplication of the original, which was destroyed many years ago
ever since I was forced to do a reduplication of a day's work, I've been more conscientious about hitting my computer's “save” button
Recent Examples on the Web
TikTok is a compound word that’s called (take a deep breath) an ablaut-shift reduplication because only the internal vowel changes.
—
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
The collection, dubbed with another fun reduplication, Bon Bon, was inspired by the packaging for the Apple AirPods.
—Leilani Marie Labong, SFChronicle.com, 26 June 2018
Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024
The collection, dubbed with another fun reduplication, Bon Bon, was inspired by the packaging for the Apple AirPods.
—Leilani Marie Labong, SFChronicle.com, 26 June 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reduplication.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near reduplication
Cite this Entry
“Reduplication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reduplication. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reduplication
noun
re·du·pli·ca·tion
ri-ˌd(y)ü-pli-ˈkā-shən
ˌrē-
: an act or instance of doubling or repeating : duplication
Medical Definition
reduplication
noun
re·du·pli·ca·tion
ri-ˌd(y)ü-pli-ˈkā-shən, ˌrē-
: an act or instance of doubling
reduplication of the chromosomes
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