A copyist is someone who made written copies of documents, books, or music by hand, especially in the past, before printing (and later, before photocopiers and computers) did that work. In a monastery or a court, a copyist might spend months on one book. Some copyists were careful and some were tired, which is why old copies of the same text do not always match. The word can still be used of a person who copies music or documents by hand today, but it carries a historical feel — a job from before machines. It is a person who copies what already exists, not someone inventing new words.

抄寫員；繕寫人