copy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Something made to look exactly like another thing.

   The fashion group made a copy of the designer dress.

2. 2
   noun

   One of many identical versions of a document, book, or file.

   Please bring me at least 200 copies of this report.

3. 3
   verb

   To make something that is the same as another thing.

   The art students copied the works of the masters.

4. 4
   verb

   To write down something exactly as it appears.

   The students were made to copy the alphabet over and over.

5. 5
   noun

   The written text prepared for printing or publishing.

   This newspaper doesn't publish any copy that hasn't been edited.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Copy comes ultimately from Latin copia, whose primary sense was “plenty” but which could also mean “permission, licence, or opportunity.” In phrases granting permission to make a transcription, copia came to denote the resulting duplicate in medieval Latin, giving English copy in the later medieval period.

Etymology tree Latin cōps Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin cōpia Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin cōpiō Old French copierbor. Middle English copien English copy From Middle English copien, from Old French copier and Medieval Latin cōpiō.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary