COPPER


Meaning of COPPER in English

I. ˈkä-pər noun

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English coper, from Old English, from Late Latin cuprum copper, from Latin ( aes ) Cyprium, literally, Cyprian metal

Date: before 12th century

1. : a common reddish metallic element that is ductile and malleable and is one of the best conductors of heat and electricity — see element table

2. : a coin or token made of copper or bronze

3. chiefly British : a large boiler (as for cooking)

4. : any of a subfamily (Lycaeninae of the family Lycaenidae) of small butterflies with usually copper-colored wings

II. transitive verb

( cop·pered ; cop·per·ing ˈkä-p(ə-)riŋ)

Date: 1530

: to coat or sheathe with or as if with copper

III. noun

Etymology: cop (II)

Date: 1846

: police officer

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.