'apograph' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apographos', where 'apo-' meant 'away, from' and 'graphein' meant 'to write'.

'apograph' passed into Late Latin/Medieval Latin as 'apographum' and was used in scholarly and legal contexts before entering modern English usage as 'apograph'.

Initially it meant 'a written copy or transcript', and over time it has retained that central meaning as 'a copy' though now it is a rare, scholarly term.