duplicado

Duplicado is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese with meanings related to duplication and copies. Etymologically, it comes from Latin duplicatus, from duplicare, meaning to double or to fold, and it branches into several related uses in different contexts.

As an adjective, duplicado describes something produced as a second copy or a doubled version of something. For example, una factura duplicada or um documento duplicado indicates that a second, identical version exists besides the original. In both languages, the feminine form is duplicada and the plural is duplicados or duplicadas.

As a noun, duplicado refers to a duplicate copy of a document or record. This usage is common in administration, law, and clerical work, where an original document is accompanied by its duplicado for records, verification, or distribution to multiple parties. The concept is widely applied to birth certificates, contracts, invoices, and identification papers.

In computing and data management, duplicado denotes an identical record that appears more than once in a dataset. Systems may flag duplicados to prevent redundancy and maintain data integrity, a process known as deduplication or data cleansing. The verb duplicar is used to express the action of creating copies.

Across Portuguese and Spanish-speaking regions, duplicado remains a neutral, widely understood term for copies or replicas, with regional preferences for usage depending on formal or colloquial context. See also duplicación in Spanish, duplicação in Portuguese, and English duplication for related concepts.