replicate

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˈrɛpləˌkeɪt/ UK /ˈrɛplɪkeɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to make an exact copy of, or reproduce a result or process

Researchers tried to replicate the experiment in a second laboratory.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make an exact copy of,... copy reproduce duplicate clone imitate repeat

Word family

Derived forms replicationreplicatorreplicable

Related forms replica reply ply

Etymology

From Late Latin replicatus, past participle of replicare ('to fold back, repeat'), from re- ('back') + plicare ('to fold').

replicare Latin plicare Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

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# replicate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈrɛpləˌkeɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈrɛplɪkeɪt/

## Meanings
1. to make an exact copy of, or reproduce a result or process

## Examples
- Researchers tried to replicate the experiment in a second laboratory.

## Synonyms
- copy
- reproduce
- duplicate
- clone
- imitate
- repeat

## Derived Forms
- replication
- replicator
- replicable

## Related Forms
- replica
- reply
- ply

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: replicare
- Root: plicare

## Etymology
From Late Latin replicatus, past participle of replicare ('to fold back, repeat'), from re- ('back') + plicare ('to fold').

## AI Etymology
Replicate comes from Late Latin replicatus, past participle of replicare ('to fold back, repeat'), from re- ('back') + plicare ('to fold'). The historical chain includes Latin replicare and Latin plicare. Older glosses in the chain include "to fold back, repeat", "back", and "to fold", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, replicate is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb, with the sense "to make an exact copy of, or reproduce a result or process". English derivatives include replication, replicator, and replicable; related forms include replica, reply, and ply. The result is an English verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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replicate

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