copyrighted
UK[ˈkɒpiraɪtɪd]US[ˈkɑːpiraɪtɪd]
adj
Legally protected by copyright, meaning the exclusive right to reproduce, publish, or sell the work is held by the creator or owner.
Morpheme Breakdown
copy
right
ed
copy
to reproduce
right
legal entitlement
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'copyright' is a modern compound, first appearing in the early 18th century. It directly combines 'copy', in its sense of a manuscript or text to be reproduced, with 'right', meaning a legal entitlement. The concept emerged with the invention of the printing press, creating a need to protect authors and publishers from unauthorized reproduction. The adjective form 'copyrighted' adds the common English adjectival suffix '-ed', literally meaning "having the right over the copy," to describe works that are under such legal protection.
Analysis
Structure: copy (to reproduce) + right (legal entitlement) + ed (adjective suffix)
- copy: From Latin 'copia' (abundance, transcript), via Anglo-French. In this compound, it signifies a reproduction or transcript of an original work.
- right: From Old English 'riht' (just, good, fair), from Proto-Germanic. In this compound, it denotes a legal or moral entitlement.
- ed: A suffix of Old English origin used to form adjectives from nouns or other adjectives, indicating possession of a quality.
Examples
The book is copyrighted, so you cannot distribute scanned copies online.
All the images on the website are copyrighted material.
She checked to make sure the song was not copyrighted before using it in her video.