copy-based
|cop-y-based|
🇺🇸
/ˈkɑpiˌbeɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˈkɒpɪˌbeɪst/
made or based on copies
Etymology
'copy-based' originates from English, specifically the combination of 'copy' and 'based': 'copy' ultimately from Old French 'copie' (from Latin 'copia') meaning 'a transcript/duplicate', and 'base' (past participle 'based') from English 'base' (from Old French/Latin) meaning 'foundation or basis'.
'copy' changed from Old French 'copie' to Middle English 'copie' and then to modern English 'copy'; 'base' comes from Old French/Latin (Latin 'basis' or Late Latin forms) and formed the participle 'based' in English. The compound 'copy-based' is a modern English formation (20th century onward) combining these elements to mean 'having a copy as its basis'.
Initially the elements referred to 'a duplicate' ('copy') and 'a foundation' ('base'); over time the compound came to mean 'having copies as the source or basis', with an added sense of reliance on reproduced material rather than originals.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
derived from, produced by, or relying on a copy or copies rather than on original material.
The edition is copy-based, reproduced from a single surviving manuscript.
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Adjective 2
built on previously written or published material (often implying lack of originality).
Many articles on that site are copy-based and add little new analysis.
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Adjective 3
in computing or publishing, organized or indexed according to copies (e.g., metadata or workflows that treat copies as primary units).
The archive uses a copy-based workflow to manage multiple reproductions of each item.
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Last updated: 2025/12/11 13:17