Standard Lemma guide

photocopy

noun · verb · 4 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfəʊtəˌkɒpi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F OW1 T OW0 K AA2 P IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A copy made using a photocopier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make a copy using a photocopier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a photographic copy of written or printed or graphic work

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: copy, photograph, photo, exposure, picture, pic

Narrower terms: photostat

4

verb

Meaning 4

reproduce by xerography

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: run off, xerox

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reproduce

Narrower terms: microcopy, photostat

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bheh2- Proto-Indo-European *bhéh2os Proto-Hellenic *pháwos Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος (phắos) Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs) Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-)der. English photo- English copy English photocopy From photo- + copy.

Across languages

Translations

88 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: պատճեն (patčen) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Armenian: լուսապատճեն (lusapatčen) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Azerbaijani: kserokopiya — copy made using a photocopier
  • Belarusian: ксерако́пія (ksjerakópija) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Bulgarian: ксероко́пия (kserokópija) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Burmese: ဖိုတိုစတက် (hpuituica.tak) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Catalan: fotocòpia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 複印件 /复印件 (fùyìnjiàn) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 影印本 (yǐngyìnběn) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Cornish: liesskrif — copy made using a photocopier
  • Czech: kopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • Danish: fotokopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Dutch: fotokopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • Esperanto: fotokopio — copy made using a photocopier
  • Finnish: valokopio — copy made using a photocopier
  • French: photocopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • Galician: fotocopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • German: Fotokopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • German: Photokopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • German: Xerokopie — copy made using a photocopier
  • Greek: φωτοτυπία (fototypía) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Hebrew: צילום (tsilúm) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Hungarian: fénymásolat — copy made using a photocopier
  • Indonesian: fotokopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Indonesian: salinan sinar — copy made using a photocopier
  • Irish: fótachóip — copy made using a photocopier
  • Italian: fotocopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Japanese: ゼロックス (zerokkusu) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Japanese: フォトコピー (fotokopī) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Japanese: 複写 (fukusha) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Kazakh: фотокөшірме (fotoköşırme) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Malay: fotokopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Malay: salinan foto — copy made using a photocopier
  • Malay: fotostat — copy made using a photocopier
  • Persian: فوتوکپی (fotokopi) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Polish: ksero — copy made using a photocopier
  • Polish: kserokopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Polish: fotokopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Portuguese: fotocópia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Portuguese: xerox — copy made using a photocopier
  • Russian: ксероко́пия (kserokópija) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Russian: фотоко́пия (fotokópija) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Spanish: fotocopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Swahili: fotokopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Swedish: fotokopia — copy made using a photocopier
  • Tamil: ஒளிநகல் (oḷinakal) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Tamil: ஜிராக்ஸ் (jirāks) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Turkish: fotokopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Ukrainian: ксероко́пія (kserokópija) — copy made using a photocopier
  • Vietnamese: photocopy — copy made using a photocopier
  • Welsh: llungopi — copy made using a photocopier
  • Catalan: fotocopiar — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Chinese Mandarin: 複印 /复印 (fùyìn) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Cornish: liesskrifa — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Czech: kopírovat — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Danish: fotokopiere — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Dutch: fotokopiëren — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Esperanto: fotokopii — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Finnish: valokopioida — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Galician: fotocopiar — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • German: fotokopieren — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • German: photokopieren — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Greek: φωτοτυπώ (fototypó) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Greek: φωτοαντιγράφω (fotoantigráfo) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Hebrew: צִילֵּם (tsilém) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Hungarian: fénymásol — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Indonesian: memfotokopi — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Irish: fótachóipeáil — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Italian: fotocopiare — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Japanese: 複写する (fukusha suru) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Luxembourgish: fotokopéieren — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Malay: memfotokopi — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Polish: kserować — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Polish: skserować — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Polish: fotokopiować — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Polish: sfotokopiować — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Portuguese: fotocopiar — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Portuguese: xerocar — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Romanian: xeroxa — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Romanian: fotocopia — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Russian: ксерокопи́ровать (kserokopírovatʹ) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Russian: отксерокопи́ровать (otkserokopírovatʹ) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Russian: фотокопи́ровать (fotokopírovatʹ) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Russian: отфотокопи́ровать (otfotokopírovatʹ) — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Spanish: fotocopiar — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Swedish: fotokopiera — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Turkish: fotokopi çekmek — to make a copy using a photocopier
  • Welsh: llungopïo — to make a copy using a photocopier
Real reading context

photocopy in complete knowledge articles