A Replica Is an Honest Copy
A replica is a close copy of an original. The word implies openness, which is what separates it from a forgery.
A replica is a copy made to resemble an original closely. The important part is honesty: a replica does not pretend to be the original, while a *forgery* does. Museums display replicas so fragile originals can be stored, and nobody objects, because the label says so.
- A close copy. *A replica of the crown.*
- A reproduction sold as such. *A replica shirt.*
- Replicate — to copy or repeat. *Replicate the experiment.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | replica | An exact replica. |
| Plural | replicas | Two replicas. |
| Verb | replicate | Replicate the study. |
| Noun | replication | Independent replication. |
| Related | reproduction | A furniture reproduction. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The ship is a replica of the original.Built to the same design.
- The results have not been replicated.Science: repeated by others.
- He bought a replica shirt.Sold openly as a copy.
Copies, from honest to fraudulent
- Replica — an acknowledged close copy
- Reproduction — a copy, often of furniture or art
- Facsimile — an exact copy, especially of a document
- Counterfeit — a copy passed off as genuine goods
- Forgery — a copy passed off as an original work
From Italian *replica*, a repetition or reply, from *replicare*, to repeat, from Latin *re-* and *plicare*, to fold — the same root as *reply*, *complicate* and *display*.
Replica or forgery?
A replica is sold and displayed as a copy. A forgery is presented as the original, which makes it fraud.
What is the replication crisis?
The finding that many published results in several sciences cannot be reproduced by independent researchers.