copier
UK[ˈkɒp.i.ə]US[ˈkɑː.pi.ɚ]
n
A machine that makes exact copies of documents or images.
n
A person who copies something.
Morpheme Breakdown
copy
er
copy
to reproduce
er
Etymology
The word "copier" is a straightforward English agent noun formation from the verb "to copy." The verb "copy" entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'copier', which itself derived from Medieval Latin 'copiare' meaning "to transcribe." This Latin verb originated from 'copia', meaning "abundance" or "plenty," with the semantic shift from "abundance" to "transcript" occurring because a transcript provided an abundant supply of the original text. By adding the agent suffix "-er," the word "copier" was created to logically denote either a person who transcribes or, in modern times, a machine that performs the function of reproduction.
Analysis
Structure: copy + er
- copy: From Latin 'copia' (abundance, transcript), via Old French 'copie'. In this word, it functions as the base verb/root meaning "to reproduce".
- er: From Old English '-ere', an agent noun suffix denoting "a person or thing that performs an action".
Examples
The office just bought a new high-speed color copier.
He was a mere copier of other artists' styles, lacking original ideas.
Please make ten copies of this report using the copier in the hall.