noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American:/ˈkɑpiɪst/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɒpiɪst/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A person who makes manual copies of works such as manuscripts or paintings.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: scribe, scrivener
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: employee
Narrower terms: Ezra
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English copy Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English copyist From copy + -ist.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
copista
— person who makes manual copies of works
Dutch:
kopiist
— person who makes manual copies of works
Finnish:
jäljentäjä
— person who makes manual copies of works
Finnish:
kopisti
— person who makes manual copies of works
French:
copiste
— person who makes manual copies of works
Georgian:
გადამწერი
(gadamc̣eri)
— person who makes manual copies of works
German:
Kopist
— person who makes manual copies of works
German:
Kopistin
— person who makes manual copies of works
Greek:
αντιγραφέας
(antigraféas)
— person who makes manual copies of works
Italian:
copista
— person who makes manual copies of works
Latin:
librarius
— person who makes manual copies of works
Latin:
librariolus
— person who makes manual copies of works
Macedonian:
препи́шувач
(prepíšuvač)
— person who makes manual copies of works
Polish:
kopista
— person who makes manual copies of works
Polish:
kopistka
— person who makes manual copies of works
Portuguese:
copista
— person who makes manual copies of works
Spanish:
copista
— person who makes manual copies of works
Spanish:
amanuense
— person who makes manual copies of works
Turkish:
kopist
— person who makes manual copies of works