copy

The word “copy” means a duplicate of something original. In plain terms, a duplicate of something, the text used in writing/publishing, or the act of duplicating or imitating.

“Copy” is pronounced KO-pee (/ˈkɑpi/ in IPA).

Here is “copy” used in a sentence: “Keep a copy of the contract for your records.”

Words with a similar meaning to “copy” include duplicate, facsimile, fake, forgery, image and likeness.

The opposite of “copy” — its antonyms — are original and miscopy.

Depending on how it is used, “copy” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “copy” comes from Latin. From Old French copie ("transcript, abundance"), from Latin copia ("abundance"), since making many copies produces an abundance of a text.

“Copy” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

The original is the first, authentic version, the thing that everything else is made from. A copy is a reproduction of it, made afterwards to look the same. However good a copy is, the original keeps its status as the source, which is why originals are usually more valuable than copies.

Copies come in many forms: a photocopy or scan of a document, a hard copy that is printed versus a soft copy that is digital, a carbon copy made on paper, or a backup copy of computer files. In art, a replica or facsimile is a copy made to resemble an original work closely.

They are very close in meaning. A "duplicate" stresses that the two items are identical and equally usable, as a duplicate key works just like the first. A "copy" simply reproduces an original and may be less exact. Every duplicate is a copy, but not every copy is a perfect duplicate.