ENGLISH
REFERENCE

duplicate

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdupɫəˌkeɪt// du·pli·cate

n. an exact copy of something else. You use this when you have two things that are exactly the same, like two identical keys or documents.

n. one of two or more identical things; an exact counterpart or double of something already existing.


SIMPLE

I keep a duplicate of my house key in my wallet.

CONTEXTUAL

The lawyer requested a duplicate of the contract because the original was lost in the mail.

COMPLEX

In botanical research, a duplicate is an additional specimen collected from the same plant at the same time as the original type specimen to ensure a record exists in multiple herbaria.

Synonyms
Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ Borrowed from Latin duplicātus, perfect passive participle of duplicō, see -ate.

Usage

Commonly used with the preposition 'of' to indicate the original source.

Pitfall

I made a duplicate from the fileI made a duplicate of the fileThe noun duplicate typically takes the preposition 'of' rather than 'from' when referring to the source object.

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