Adjacent Words

Copper definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COPPER, n. [L., G., supposed to be so called from Cyprus, an isle in the Mediterranean. This opinion is probable, as the Greeks called it Cyprian brass, brass of Cyprus. In this case copper was originally an adjective.] A metal, of a pale red color, tinged with yellow. Next to gold, silver and platina, it is the most ductile and malleable of the metals, and it is more elastic than any metal, except steel, and the most sonorous of all the metals. It is found native in lamins or fibers, in a gangue almost always quartzous; it is also found crystalized, and in grains or superficial lamins on stones or iron. It is not altered by water, but is tarnished by exposure to the air, and is at last covered with a green carbonated oxyd. Copper in sheets is much used for covering the bottoms of ships, for boilers and other utensils; mixed with tin and zink, it is used in enamel-painting, dyeing, etc. : mixed with tin, it forms bell-metal; with a smaller proportion, bronze; and with zink, it forms brass, pinchbeck, etc. When taken into the body ti operates as a violent emetic, and all its preparations are violent poisons.
COPPER, a. Consisting of copper.
COPPER,n.
1. A vessel made of copper, particularly a large boiler.
2 Formerly, a small copper coin.
My friend filled my pocket with coppers.
COPPER, v.t. To cover or sheathe with sheets of copper; as, to copper a ship.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
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 [syn: copper, Cu, atomic number 29]
2: a copper penny
3: uncomplimentary terms for a policeman [syn: bull, cop, copper, fuzz, pig]
4: a reddish-brown color resembling the color of polished copper [syn: copper, copper color]
5: any of various small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae having coppery wings v
1: coat with a layer of copper

Merriam Webster's

I. 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 (coppered; coppering) Date: 1530 to coat or sheathe with or as if with copper III. noun Etymology: ²cop Date: 1846 police officer

Britannica Concise

Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements, chemical symbol Cu, atomic number 29. Sometimes found in the free state in nature, it is a reddish metal, very ductile and an unusually good conductor of electricity and heat. Most copper is used by the electrical industries; the remainder is combined with other metals, incl. brass, bronze, nickel, and silver, to form alloys. Copper is part of nearly all coinage metals. In compounds copper usually has valence 1 (cuprous) or 2 (cupric). Cuprous compounds include cuprous oxide, a red pigment and a fungicide; cuprous chloride, a catalyst for certain organic reactions; and cuprous sulfide, with a variety of uses. Cupric compounds include cupric oxide, a pigment, decolorizing agent, and catalyst; cupric chloride, a catalyst, wood preservative, mordant, disinfectant, feed additive, and pigment; and cupric sulfate, a pesticide, germicide, feed additive, and soil additive. Copper is a necessary trace element in the diet and essential to plant growth; in blue-blooded mollusks and crustaceans it plays the same role in hemocyanin as iron does in hemoglobin. Any member of the butterfly subfamily Lycaeninae (family Lycaenidae). Coppers are common and widely distributed. Adults, sometimes known as gossamer-winged butterflies, are delicate, with a wingspan of 0.75-1.5 in. (18-38 mm). They are rapid fliers, usually with iridescent wings. Coppers typically range from orange-red to brown, usually with a copper tinge and dark markings. Copper larvae feed on clover, dock, or sorrel. Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements, chemical symbol Cu, atomic number 29. Sometimes found in the free state in nature, it is a reddish metal, very ductile and an unusually good conductor of electricity and heat. Most copper is used by the electrical industries; the remainder is combined with other metals, incl. brass, bronze, nickel, and silver, to form alloys. Copper is part of nearly all coinage metals. In compounds copper usually has valence 1 (cuprous) or 2 (cupric). Cuprous compounds include cuprous oxide, a red pigment and a fungicide; cuprous chloride, a catalyst for certain organic reactions; and cuprous sulfide, with a variety of uses. Cupric compounds include cupric oxide, a pigment, decolorizing agent, and catalyst; cupric chloride, a catalyst, wood preservative, mordant, disinfectant, feed additive, and pigment; and cupric sulfate, a pesticide, germicide, feed additive, and soil additive. Copper is a necessary trace element in the diet and essential to plant growth; in blue-blooded mollusks and crustaceans it plays the same role in hemocyanin as iron does in hemoglobin. Any member of the butterfly subfamily Lycaeninae (family Lycaenidae). Coppers are common and widely distributed. Adults, sometimes known as gossamer-winged butterflies, are delicate, with a wingspan of 0.75-1.5 in. (18-38 mm). They are rapid fliers, usually with iridescent wings. Coppers typically range from orange-red to brown, usually with a copper tinge and dark markings. Copper larvae feed o

Dictionary of the Elements

copper
Symbol: Cu
Atomic number: 29
Atomic weight: 63.54
Red-brown transition element. Known by the Romans as 'cuprum.' Extracted and used for thousands of years. Malleable, ductile and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. When in moist conditions, a greenish layer forms on the outside.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n., adj., & v. --n. 1 Chem. a malleable red-brown metallic element of the transition series occurring naturally esp. in cuprite and malachite, and used esp. for electrical cables and apparatus. Usage: Symb.: Cu. 2 a bronze coin. 3 a large metal vessel for boiling esp. laundry. 4 any of various butterflies with copper-coloured wings. --adj. made of or coloured like copper. --v.tr. cover (a ship's bottom, a pan, etc.) with copper. Phrases and idioms: copper beech a variety of beech with copper-coloured leaves. copper belt a copper-mining area of Central Africa. copper-bit a soldering tool pointed with copper. copper-bottomed 1 having a bottom sheathed with copper (esp. of a ship or pan). 2 genuine or reliable (esp. financially). copper pyrites a double sulphide of copper and iron: also called CHALCOPYRITE. copper sulphate a blue crystalline solid used in electroplating, textile dyeing, etc. copper vitriol copper sulphate. Etymology: OE copor, coper, ult. f. L cyprium aes Cyprus metal 2. n. Brit. sl. a policeman. Etymology: COP(1) + ER(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pyrites Py*ri"tes, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? fire. See Pyre.] (Min.) A name given to a number of metallic minerals, sulphides of iron, copper, cobalt, nickel, and tin, of a white or yellowish color. Note: The term was originally applied to the mineral pyrite, or iron pyrites, in allusion to its giving sparks when struck with steel. Arsenical pyrites, arsenopyrite. Auriferous pyrites. See under Auriferous. Capillary pyrites, millerite. Common pyrites, isometric iron disulphide; pyrite. Hair pyrites, millerite. Iron pyrites. See Pyrite. Magnetic pyrites, pyrrhotite. Tin pyrites, stannite. White iron pyrites, orthorhombic iron disulphide; marcasite. This includes cockscomb pyrites (a variety of marcasite, named in allusion to its form), spear pyrites, etc. Yellow, or Copper, pyrites, the sulphide of copper and iron; chalcopyrite.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Copper Cop"per, n. [OE. coper (cf. D. koper, Sw. koppar, Dan. kobber, G. kupfer), LL. cuper, fr. L. cuprum for earlier Cyprium, Cyprium aes, i.e., Cyprian brass, fr. Gr. ? of Cyprus (Gr. ?), anciently renowned for its copper mines. Cf. Cypreous.] 1. A common metal of a reddish color, both ductile and malleable, and very tenacious. It is one of the best conductors of heat and electricity. Symbol Cu. Atomic weight 63.3. It is one of the most useful metals in itself, and also in its alloys, brass and bronze. Note: Copper is the only metal which occurs native abundantly in large masses; it is found also in various ores, of which the most important are chalcopyrite, chalcocite, cuprite, and malachite. Copper mixed with tin forms bell metal; with a smaller proportion, bronze; and with zinc, it forms brass, pinchbeck, and other alloys. 2. A coin made of copper; a penny, cent, or other minor coin of copper. [Colloq.] My friends filled my pockets with coppers. --Franklin. 3. A vessel, especially a large boiler, made of copper. 4. pl. Specifically (Naut.), the boilers in the galley for cooking; as, a ship's coppers. Note: Copper is often used adjectively, commonly in the sense of made or consisting of copper, or resembling copper; as, a copper boiler, tube, etc. All in a hot and copper sky. --Coleridge. Note: It is sometimes written in combination; as, copperplate, coppersmith, copper-colored. Copper finch. (Zo["o]l.) See Chaffinch. Copper glance, or Vitreous copper. (Min.) See Chalcocite. Indigo copper. (Min.) See Covelline.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Copper Cop"per, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coppered; p. pr. & vb. n. Coppering.] To cover or coat with copper; to sheathe with sheets of copper; as, to copper a ship.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(coppers) 1. Copper is reddish brown metal that is used to make things such as coins and electrical wires. Chile is the world's largest producer of copper. ...a copper mine. N-UNCOUNT 2. Copper is sometimes used to describe things that are reddish-brown in colour. (LITERARY) His hair has reverted back to its original copper hue. ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. A copper is a policeman or a policewoman. (BRIT INFORMAL) ...your friendly neighbourhood copper. N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called "Cyprian brass," occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered "brass," and sometimes "steel" (2 Sam. 22:35; Jer. 15:12). The "bow of steel" (Job 20:24; Ps. 18:34) should have been "bow of copper" (or "brass," as in the R.V.). The vessels of "fine copper" of Ezra 8:27 were probably similar to those of "bright brass" mentioned in 1 Kings 7:45; Dan. 10:6.

Tubal-cain was the first artificer in brass and iron (Gen. 4:22). Hiram was noted as a worker in brass (1 Kings 7:14). Copper abounded in Palestine (Deut. 8:9; Isa. 60:17; 1 Chr. 22:3, 14). All sorts of vessels in the tabernacle and the temple were made of it (Lev. 6:28; Num. 16:39; 2 Chr. 4:16; Ezra 8:27); also weapons of war (1 Sam. 17:5, 6, 38; 2 Sam. 21:16). Iron is mentioned only four times (Gen. 4:22; Lev. 26:19; Num. 31:22; 35:16) in the first four books of Moses, while copper (rendered "brass") is mentioned forty times. (See BRASS.)

We find mention of Alexander (q.v.), a "coppersmith" of Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:14).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kop'-er (nechosheth): The word is translated "copper" in only one passage (Ezr 8:27 the King James Version). In the American Standard Revised Version of this passage, "brass" has been substituted. Neither describes the actual alloy according to present definitions so well as the word "bronze." Copper was one of the earliest metals to be known and utilized in alloy, but copper, as a single metal, was probably little used. The remains of spears, balances, arms, vases, mirrors, statues, cooking utensils, implements of all kinds, etc., from Bible times are principally of an alloy of copper hardened with tin known today as bronze (see BRASS). In such passages as De 8:9, where reference is made to the native metal or ores, "copper" should be substituted for "brass" as in the American Standard Revised Version (compare Job 40:18). This is true also of coins as chalkos, in Mt 10:9.

Our modern English word "copper" is derived from an old name pertaining to the island of Cyprus. Copper was known to the ancients as Cyprian brass, probably because that island was one of the chief sources for this metal. The Sinai peninsula and the mountains of northern Syria also contributed to the ancient world's supply (see Tell el-Amarna Letters). No evidences of copper ore in any quantity are found in Palestine proper.

See METAL; MINE.

James A. Patch.

COPPERSmith

kop'-er-smith (chalkeus): The word is found in New Testament once only, in 2Ti 4:14: "Alexander the coppersmith did (margin "showed") me much evil." As the Bible word rendered "copper" (see Ezr 8:27 the King James Version) is translated "brass" by the Revised Version (British and American), so the word here rendered "c." should be rendered "brazier," or "worker in brass."

See COPPER.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Cent. 2. [pl.] Small change, copper money. 3. Large boiler, cauldron (esp. in a ship's kitchen).

Moby Thesaurus

C, C-note, Dogberry, G, G-note, John Law, Titian, adust, auburn, aureate, bar, bay, bay-colored, bayard, bluecoat, bobby, brass, brassy, brazen, bronze, bronze-colored, bronzed, bronzy, brownish-red, buck, bull, bullion, cartwheel, castaneous, cent, century, chestnut, chestnut-brown, coin gold, coin silver, cop, copper-colored, coppery, cupreous, cuprous, dick, dime, dollar, dollar bill, ferrous, ferruginous, fifty cents, fin, fish, five cents, five hundred dollars, five-dollar bill, five-hundred-dollar bill, five-spot, fiver, flatfoot, flattie, four bits, foxy, frogskin, fuzz, gendarme, gilt, gold, gold nugget, gold-filled, gold-plated, golden, grand, gumshoe, half G, half a C, half dollar, half grand, heat, henna, hundred-dollar bill, ingot, iron, iron man, ironlike, lead, leaden, liver-brown, liver-colored, livid-brown, mahogany, man, mercurial, mercurous, mill, nickel, nickelic, nickeline, nugget, officer, peeler, penny, pewter, pewtery, pig, precious metals, quarter, quicksilver, red cent, reddish-brown, roan, rubiginous, rufous, russet, russety, rust, rust-colored, rusty, sawbuck, shamus, silver, silver dollar, silver-plated, silvery, skin, smacker, steel, steely, sunburned, ten cents, ten-spot, tenner, terra-cotta, the cops, the fuzz, the law, thousand dollars, thousand-dollar bill, tin, tinny, twenty-dollar bill, twenty-five cents, two bits, two-dollar bill, two-spot, yard, yellow stuff