Past tense of copy; to have made an identical or similar reproduction of something. To have imitated someone's actions or behavior.
From Latin 'copia' meaning abundance or plenty, through Old French 'copie.' Originally meant a transcript or reproduction of a manuscript. The meaning expanded to include any form of duplication or imitation by the 16th century.
Before photocopiers, making copies required scribes to painstakingly reproduce documents by hand, leading to the job title 'copyist.' The legal concept of copyright literally means 'the right to copy,' and was first established to protect publishers, not authors, in 18th-century Britain.
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