copper

[ kop-er ]

/ ˈkɒp ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR copper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a malleable, ductile, metallic element having a characteristic reddish-brown color: used in large quantities as an electrical conductor and in the manufacture of alloys, as brass and bronze. Symbol: Cu; atomic weight: 63.54; atomic number: 29; specific gravity: 8.92 at 20°C.

a metallic reddish brown.

a coin composed of copper, bronze, or the like, as the U.S. cent or the British penny.

any of several butterflies of the family Lycaenidae, as Lycaena hypophleas (American copper), having copper-colored wings spotted and edged with black.

a container made of copper.

a tool partly or wholly made of copper: a soldering copper.

British. a large kettle, now usually made of iron, used for cooking or to boil laundry.

adjective

made of copper: copper kettles.

reddish-brown; coppery: The copper sun sank into the sea.

verb (used with object)

to cover, coat, or sheathe with copper.

Informal. hedge(def 6).

Origin of copper

before 1000; Middle English coper, Old English coper, copor (cognate with Old Norse koparr, German Kupfer) < Late Latin cuprum, for Latin ( aes) Cyprium Cyprian (metal)

Words nearby copper

copley, copolymer, copolymer resin, copolymerize, coppelia, copper, copper age, copper and stone age, copper arsenite, copper beech, copper belt

Definition for copper (2 of 2)

copper ²

[ kop-er ]

/ ˈkɒp ər /

noun Slang.

a police officer.

Origin of copper

1840–50, Americanism; perhaps cop¹ + -er¹

Example sentences from the Web for copper

You can find fourteen of these copper creations, all initially containing 3,900 liters of liquid apiece, on the Macallan estate.

When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters | |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the copper performs another important function: working as a catalyst in the distillation process.

When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters | |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Why the size and shape of a copper still is at the core of whisky distillation.

When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters | |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After all, there are much larger risks in this world than traces of copper in your water.

Are Water Filters B.S.? |Michael Schulson |August 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Paul Smith filled the Bourse de Commerce with its copper cupola in June for his menswear show.

Paris’s Secret Fashion Week Haunts |Liza Foreman |July 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Slate quarries and copper and tin mines were formerly valuable.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 |Various
As he had no silver mines, he struck the roubles out of copper, of which there was plenty about.

In Love With the Czarina and Other Stories |Mr Jkai
Several specimens of living coral were found attached to the copper sheathing, that which I received being the largest.

Cruise of the 'Alert' |R. W. Coppinger
These are large, deep vessels, provided with copper steam coils in the bottom for the purpose of heating the juice.

Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888 |Various
The skeleton being completed, her planks are then secured by copper or iron nails to the timbers, and riveted.

Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements |Various

British Dictionary definitions for copper (1 of 2)

copper ¹

/ (ˈkɒpə) /

noun

a malleable ductile reddish metallic element occurring as the free metal, copper glance, and copper pyrites: used as an electrical and thermal conductor and in such alloys as brass and bronze. Symbol: Cu; atomic no: 29; atomic wt: 63.546; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 8.96; melting pt: 1084.87±+0.2°C; boiling pt: 2563°CRelated adjectives: cupric, cuprous Related prefix: cupro-
(as modifier)a copper coin

the reddish-brown colour of copper
(as adjective)copper hair

informal any copper or bronze coin

mainly British a large vessel, formerly of copper, used for boiling or washing

any of various small widely distributed butterflies of the genera Lycaena, Heodes, etc, typically having reddish-brown wings: family Lycaenidae

verb

(tr) to coat or cover with copper

Derived forms of copper

coppery, adjective

Word Origin for copper

Old English coper, from Latin Cyprium aes Cyprian metal, from Greek Kupris Cyprus

British Dictionary definitions for copper (2 of 2)

copper ²

/ (ˈkɒpə) /

noun

a slang word for policeman Often shortened to: cop

Word Origin for copper

C19: from cop 1 (vb) + -er 1

Medical definitions for copper

copper

[ kŏp′ər ]

n. Symbol Cu

A malleable metallic trace element used in its salt forms as an astringent, deodorant, and antifungal, and whose radioisotope is used in brain scans and for diagnosing Wilson's disease. Atomic number 29.

Scientific definitions for copper (1 of 2)

copper

[ kŏp′ər ]

Cu

A reddish-brown, ductile, malleable metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It is widely used for electrical wires, water pipes, and rust-resistant parts, either in its pure form or in alloys such as brass and bronze. Atomic number 29; atomic weight 63.546; melting point 1,083°C; boiling point 2,595°C; specific gravity 8.96; valence 1, 2. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.

Scientific definitions for copper (2 of 2)

Copper and Stone Age

See Chalcolithic.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

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copper