n. pl. cop·ies 1. a. An imitation or reproduction of an original; a duplicate: a copy of a painting; made two copies of the letter. b. Computers A file that has the same data as another file: stored on the server a copy of every document. c. One example of a printed text, picture, film, or recording: an autographed copy of a novel. 2. a. Material, such as a manuscript, that is to be set in type. b. The words to be printed or spoken in an advertisement. c. Suitable source material for journalism: Celebrities make good copy. v. cop·ied, cop·y·ing, cop·ies v.tr. 1. To make a reproduction or copy of: copied the note letter for letter; copied the file to a disk. 2. To follow as a model or pattern; imitate. See Synonyms at imitate. 3. To include as an additional recipient of a written communication: Please copy me when you reply to her. v.intr. 1. To make a copy or copies. 2. To admit of being copied: colored ink that does not copy well. 3. To hear clearly or understand something said by radio communication: Mayday. Do you copy? [Middle English copie, from Old French, from Medieval Latin cōpia, transcript, from Latin, profusion; see op- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] copy·a·ble, copi·a·ble adj. |
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