English
copist
Copist comes from French copiste ‘copyist, transcriber’, from copier ‘to copy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōps‘abounding in, rich, copious’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpia‘supply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500copiōas copiāre‘to copy’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcopier‘to copy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcopiste‘copyist, transcriber’
- Englishearliest quotation 1710copist
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōps‘abounding in, rich, copious’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōpia‘supply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500copiōas copiāre‘to copy’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcopier‘to copy’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcopiste‘copyist, transcriber’
- Englishearliest quotation 1710copist
Earliest quotation: 1710, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Soliloquy: or: “[…] whether the Writer be Poet, Philosopher, or of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
bus, operation, operate, operator, opera, omnibus, opus, oeuvre, omnivore, 21 more
through Proto-Italic *opis
through Latin ops
office, official, optimum, opulent, officiate, opulence, officiant, officious, 9 more
through Latin cōpia ‘supply, abundance, copiousness, wealth, riches’
through Medieval Latin copiō ‘to copy’
Today it means
noun A copier; one who copies.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / copist