Carbon copy

Also called: cc or blind carbon copy(bcc)

A carbon copy (cc) is used to send a copy of a message to one or more other recipients for information.

The term is widely used today in relation to e-mail, but it dates back to the days when letters were composed with a typewriter. Using carbon paper, it was possible to have each keystroke of a typewriter automatically printed on one or more additional sheets of paper. This was especially common when copiers were not yet massively present in offices.

In a letter or e-mail message, the persons receiving a copy are often preceded by the letters 'CC:'.

To be able to send a copy of an e-mail message to additional recipients without the names and e-mail addresses being visible to the recipients, it is also possible within e-mail to specify a "bcc" (blind carbon copy). This functionality is also used for distributing newsletters, although it was not originally intended for this purpose.