What does clone mean?
A clone is an organism, cell, or molecule that is genetically identical to another, having arisen asexually from a single ancestor rather than through sexual reproduction. The term also extends beyond biology: any faithful reproduction — a knock-off gadget, a duplicated hard drive, a lookalike person — may be called a clone. As a verb, to clone means to create such an identical copy, whether by laboratory techniques such as somatic cell nuclear transfer, by copying genes or software repositories, or by manufacturing imitations of commercial products. In science, the word carries no judgment; Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, made 'clone' a household word in the late twentieth century. In casual speech, however, describing people as clones often implies dull uniformity or lost individuality. Derived forms include 'cloned', 'cloning', and 'clonable', and the word is equally at home in genetics labs, computer documentation, and everyday conversation.
An organism, cell, or group of cells produced asexually from a single ancestor and therefore genetically identical to it; by extension, an exact replica or imitation of a person, product, or thing.
"Each strawberry runner produces clones of the parent plant."
In informal use, describing people as clones implies sameness or lack of originality and can sound dismissive.
To produce a genetically identical copy of an organism, cell, or gene, or more generally to make an exact duplicate of something.
"Researchers cloned the gene so they could study its protein product."
Standard regular plural; used for multiple genetically identical organisms or copies.
"The lab maintains several clones of the same mouse line."
The word 'clone' comes from the Greek for 'twig' — because early plant clones were literally grown from cuttings.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clone
The word 'clone' derives from the ancient Greek 'klōn', meaning a twig or slip used for propagation — fittingly, since early horticultural clones were plants grown from cuttings, which are genetically identical to the parent. Botanist Herbert J. Webber introduced the term into English scientific usage in the early twentieth century. It shares its Greek root with the medical term 'clonic', which describes alternating muscular contractions, though the two words have diverged entirely in meaning.
Related word forms
How clone is actually used
Neutral in scientific contexts; in everyday use, calling something or someone a 'clone' can carry a mildly derogatory tone, implying unoriginality or lack of individuality. The computing senses (cloning a disk, repository, or virtual machine) are standard technical usage. The word is fully established and register-neutral across British and American English.
Easily confused with clone
'Clonic' is a medical adjective relating to clonus (alternating muscle contractions), sharing the Greek root klon but entirely unrelated in meaning to biological copying.