copy

Where does the word "copy" come from? It comes from Latin copia, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Copy’s story begins in Latin: copia meant “abundance.” The root of 'copious'; a 'copy' made more of something. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as copie. Copying multiplied texts. It reached English by 1300s as copy. 'copy' for advertising text dates from the 1800s. Today, copy means a thing made to be like another.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient copia "abundance", the root of 'copious'; a 'copy' made more of something.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval copie "transcript", copying multiplied texts.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s copy "transcript", 'copy' for advertising text dates from the 1800s.