Link Centre Dictionary

copper

cop·per

UK/ˈkɒpə/ US/ˈkɑpəɹ/ fairly common slang uk us
noun (5) verb (1)

noun

1.

a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor

Synonyms
2.
3.
4.
5.

any of various small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae having copper colored wings

verb

1.

coat with a layer of copper

Origin

The noun is inherited from Middle English coper, copper (“copper ore; copper metal; bronze”), from Old English coper, copor (“copper”), from Late Latin cuprum (“copper”), a contraction of Latin aes Cyprium (literally “Cyprian brass or copper”), ultimately from Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς (Kŭ́pros, “Cyprus”) (a major source of copper during the Near East’s Bronze Age), from the name of a Northwest Semitic goddess from the root כ־ב־ר/ك ب ر (k b r) (“related to being big, large; great; or old”). Doublet of kobo. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The verb is also derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch koper (“copper”) * German Kupfer (“copper”) * Icelandic kopar (“copper”) Compare typologically Argentina (< Latin argentum, an opposite semantic shift); turquoise (akin to Turk).

Phrases

  • antimonial copper
  • arsenical copper
  • Austrian copper
  • Austrian copper rose
  • barium copper disilicate
  • barium copper oxide
  • barium copper silicate
  • barium copper tetrasilicate
  • bent copper

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.