Autotypic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A category of reproduction that retains the specific attributes of the original while creating a new instance
2. A technique for duplicating original elements that ensures the essential qualities are preserved in the resulting copy
3. Relating to a method of creating copies that maintain the defining characteristics of the original subject

Etymology: "Autotypic" is built from "autotype" and the adjective-forming suffix "-ic". An autotype is a facsimile made directly from the original, most often a photographic reproduction of a drawing or document, so the adjective describes something that reproduces its source faithfully, with nothing in between. The "auto-" element is the Greek "autos," meaning "self" or "same," which gives the sense of a copy that is the thing itself rather than an imitation of it. The word is a technical coinage in the vocabulary of printing and reproduction, formed in English from existing parts rather than inherited from an older language. Its meaning stays close to those parts: where "autotype" names the copy, "autotypic" names the quality of being a faithful copy of the original.