Telecopies

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A method of transmitting printed material over a distance using devices to create and send copies
2. Technology that allows for the transfer of documents to remote locations via machines designed to duplicate written content
3. The process of using electronic devices to send printed materials, resulting in immediate receipt of the documents at another site

Etymology: "Telecopies" is the plural of "telecopy," a noun meaning a copy of printed material sent over a distance. The word is a combination of "tele-," from Greek "tēle" meaning "far off," and "copy," from Latin "copia," meaning abundance or plenty. Put together, the parts describe making a copy at a distance, which is exactly what the early facsimile machines did. Because the plural simply follows the noun, its history is that of "telecopy" itself. The first element, "tele-," appears in many modern coinages such as "telephone" and "television," which share the Greek sense of distance, while "copy" has passed from the idea of abundance to the sense of a reproduction of a text.

Synonyms: fax, facsimile