duplication
Americannoun
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an act or instance of duplicating.
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the state of being duplicated.
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a duplicate.
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Genetics. a type of chromosomal aberration in which a region of the chromosome is repeated.
noun
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the act of duplicating or the state of being duplicated
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a copy; duplicate
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genetics a mutation in which there are two or more copies of a gene or of a segment of a chromosome
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of duplication
1490–1500; (< Anglo-French ) < Latin duplicātiōn- (stem of duplicātiō ), equivalent to duplicāt ( us ) ( see duplicate) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A replica or copy of something is a duplication, and the process of making it is also duplication. Duplication of important computer files is always a good idea — that way you have a backup if you accidentally delete something or your laptop malfunctions. The earliest meaning of duplication was "act of doubling," from the Latin duplicare, "to double." By the 1580s, it gained the sense of "an act of making or repeating something essentially the same." Duplication can be as simple as making paper copies (or duplicates) with a Xerox machine, or as complicated as certain genetic processes in which parts of DNA are repeated.
Vocabulary lists containing duplication
It Takes Two: Diplo
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For almost 20 years there has been talk of councils working together more closely to share overheads and cut duplication - for instance sharing responsibility for road maintenance or back office functions.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The changes are also intended to save money by reducing duplication and cutting administrative costs.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Bosses try to limit duplication through projects to share technologies and components.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
According to the researchers, the newly identified compound most likely developed from a related drug-producing pathway through gene duplication and recombination over time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
One, known only as Klinefelter’s syndrome, involves a duplication of one of the sex chromosomes.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
