What is the name of the process by which DNA is copied before cell division?

DNA replication is the process by which DNA is copied before cell division.

Replication is semiconservative: each daughter DNA molecule contains one original strand and one newly synthesized strand. Complementary base pairing allows each old strand to guide the construction of its partner, preserving the sequence with high accuracy.

The process begins at replication origins and proceeds through replication forks. Helicases separate the strands, primases make primers, DNA polymerases add nucleotides in the 5′-to-3′ direction, and ligase seals discontinuities between fragments on the lagging strand.

Replication is not the same as transcription. Transcription copies selected DNA information into RNA, while replication duplicates the entire genome—or, in some viruses, the relevant genetic molecule—so daughter cells can inherit it.