A copy, or copies, of a unique original. Usually applied to human beings and generally considered 'A Bad Thing'. Clones have been a staple of science fiction from Huxley's Brave New World through the azis in CJ Cherryh's Alliance/Union stories, particularly as seen in Cyteen, to Lord Mark and the cloning technology of Jackson's Whole in Lois Bujold's Vorkosiganiverse.
The main area of distaste about clones is their similarity to the original. However, as indicated in the plot line for Cyteen this physical identicalness is largely unimportant - it's duplicating the mental make-up, including memories, that would have to be undertaken to duplicate the person. And this will be very difficult to actually manage. Another potential use of clones is as spare parts for the original body - the main business of the cloning Houses of Jackson's Whole in Bujold's books.
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