Definition of CLONE

: one that appears to be a copy of an original form : duplicate

Noun

the clone of an adult female sheep the car is a clone under a different brand name—it's even manufactured in the same plant as its cousin Verb

Do you think scientists should clone humans? a plant produced by cloning

Recent Examples on the Web

Moreover, the combination of the specific chord progression in the melody paired with the verbatim hook was a greater than 50% clone of Vance’s original work, in both lyric choice and chord expressions. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025 The film, which stars Robert Pattinson as a clone who works menial jobs in a futuristic dystopia, will likely lose between $75 million to $80 million during its theatrical run, according to three sources with knowledge of the economics of movies on this scale. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025

Visitors enter through the TARDIS spaceship to see all 17 of the Doctor's costumes and learn about scientific topics that informed the show from the space-time continuum to AI to cloning. —Kate Murphy, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025 Authorities warn that grandparent scams have grown increasingly sophisticated in recent years, with some perpetrators using AI to clone the voices of victims' loved ones in a hauntingly realistic touch. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clone

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Greek klṓn, klōnós "branch, sprig," perhaps contraction of *klaṓn, from kla-, stem of kláō, klân "to break off, break in two or in pieces" + -ōn, noun suffix — more at clastic

Note: The term clone, first spelled clon, was introduced by the American plant physiologist Herbert J. Webber (1865-1946) in "New horticultural and agricultural terms," Science, vol. 18 (new series), no. 459 (October 16, 1903), pp. 501-03: "Recently, Mr. O.F. Cook, of the Department of Agriculture, has called the writer's attention to the Greek word clon (κλών) meaning a twig, spray, or slip, such as is broken off for propagation, which could be used in the connection desired …Clons, which are groups of plants that are propagated by the use of any form of vegetative parts such as bulbs, tubers, cuttings, grafts, buds, etc., and which are simply parts of the same individual seedlings." The O.F. Cook to whom Webber refers was the American botanist Orator F. Cook (1867-1949). Respelling of the word as clone to mark the long o was suggested by the botanist Charles Louis Pollard ("On the spelling of 'clon'," Science, vol. 22 [new series], no. 551 [July 21, 1905], pp. 87-88).

Verb

derivative of clone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1930, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of clone was in 1903