Duplicatio

Duplicatio is a Latin noun meaning the act of doubling, copying, or repetition. From duplicare “to double,” it is cognate with the English “duplication” and the French “duplication.” In historical, linguistic, and scholarly usage, duplicatio serves as a generic label for situations involving twofold copies or repeats.

In rhetoric and grammar, duplicatio denotes the repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis, a device sometimes called reduplication in some traditions. In linguistics, discussions of reduplication or gemination have occasionally employed duplicatio as a synonym, especially in older or Latin-language grammars.

In textual criticism and manuscript studies, duplicatio refers to the creation of duplicate copies of a text, whether through copying by scribes or through the transmission of parallel textual traditions. Distinguishing authentic text from duplicates or contaminant copies is a central task of the discipline.

In biology and genetics, duplicatio designates duplication events that produce extra copies of DNA segments, genes, or entire genomic regions; such duplications are a major source of genetic material for evolution and can have functional consequences.

In modern English usage, duplicatio is uncommon outside scholarly or Latin-language contexts; the ordinary term is duplication or reduplication depending on the sense. See also: duplication, reduplication, gemination.