Duplicate

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈd(j)uː.plɪˌkeɪt/

Definitions

1. An exact copy or reproduction of something ; to produce an identical copy of an original item or document
2. Something that is exactly like another in every detail ; the act of copying something precisely
3. A version that matches another perfectly ; to replicate or reproduce something exactly as it is

Etymology: The verb "duplicate" comes straight from the Latin past participle "duplicātus" of "duplicāre," meaning "to double" or "to fold in two." The Latin root is "duplex," meaning "twofold," built from "duo" (two) and a element related to "plicāre," "to fold." So the word's original sense is literally about folding something over to make two layers, a far more physical image than the modern idea of an exact copy. English borrowed the word as a verb, and the sense of making a second version of something came later than the sense of simply doubling an amount. The noun and adjective senses that mean an exact replica developed from the same root, so a duplicate is, at heart, something that has been doubled over, with the original's form made twice.

Synonyms: copy, replica, reproduction, imitation, clone

Antonyms: original, unique, singular, distinct, different