duplica

Duplica is a term used in several Romance languages and in technical contexts, generally relating to making a copy or doubling something. It derives from Latin duplicare, meaning to double or fold together. In everyday language, duplica appears as a verb form in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.

In Spanish, duplica is the third-person singular present indicative of duplicar and also the affirmative tú command: duplica los archivos. In Italian, duplica is the third-person singular present of duplicare. In Portuguese, duplica is the present indicative for você/ele/ela as well as a common informal imperative form in some dialects.

In genetics, duplication refers to a segment of DNA that is present in more than one copy, producing copy-number variation. Gene duplications and whole-genome duplications are important mechanisms in evolution, providing raw material for new functions but potentially contributing to disease when gene dosage becomes imbalanced.

In computing and data management, duplication means creating copies of data. Deduplication is a related technique that reduces storage by identifying and removing duplicate copies or data blocks, often used in backups and storage systems.

Because duplica is a cross-linguistic form rather than a single, standalone concept, its precise meaning depends on context. It is sometimes used as a brand name or product label, but there is no universal definition beyond the general notion of doubling or copying. See also: duplicate, duplication, deduplication.