CC

Carbon Copy

The term carbon copy originated from the practice of using carbon paper to make a duplicate copy of a document while it was being typed or written. This was commonly used in offices and other settings before the advent of photocopiers and digital document processing.

The abbreviation cc in email stands for carbon copy and is used to indicate that additional recipients are receiving a copy of the email. The use of cc in email is an analogy to the use of carbon paper, as it allows for the distribution of the same message to multiple recipients.

The concept of including additional recipients in email messages predates the use of cc and can be traced back to the early days of email communication in the 1970s. However, the use of cc specifically to indicate a carbon copy can be traced back to the days of typewriters and paper memos.

As email became more widespread in the 1990s and 2000s, the use of cc became ubiquitous and is now a standard feature in most email clients and services. Additionally, the concept of a bcc or blind carbon copy was introduced to allow for the discreet distribution of an email message to additional recipients without revealing their identities to the primary recipient or other recipients on the email thread.

• Abbreviation: CC