1. One who copies or makes a copy of a writing or document; a transcriber, copyist.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., 151. To impute it to the ouersight of the copyers.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 349. The Copiantes, or Copiers out of old bookes … wrot it.
1699. Bentley, Phal., Introd. 9. The Scribes and Copyers of those Times.
1779–81. Johnson, L. P., A. Philips. He supposed it to be corrupted by the copiers.
1879. Furnivall, E. Eng. Text Soc. Rep., 8. For the decipherment of the faded text the Society is indebted to its Oxford copier.
b. One who copies a work of art.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 166, ¶ 3. This Order has produced great Numbers of tolerable Copiers in Painting.
1719. J. Richardson, Art Crit., 175. Neither is that … Intirely Coppy where the Whole Thought is taken, but the manner of the Coppier used as to the Colouring.
2. One who copies or imitates; an imitator.
1679. Dryden, Tr. & Cr., Pref. To imitate Fletcher is but to copy after him who was a Copyer. Ibid. (a. 1700), Vind. Dk. Guise (R.). The Sorbonists were the original, and our schismaticks in England were the copiers of rebellion.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 164, ¶ 9. His virtues will be cited to justify the copiers of his vices.
1876. Mozley, Univ. Serm., vii. 158. Such imitation does not in the least interfere with the natural character of the copier.
