copper
1a 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.
made of copper: copper kettles.
reddish-brown; coppery: The copper sun sank into the sea.
to cover, coat, or sheathe with copper.
Informal. hedge (def. 6).
Origin of copper
1Words Nearby copper
Other definitions for copper (2 of 2)
Origin of copper
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use copper in a sentence
The commercial products are being developed with copper-based shape memory alloys, which are softer and don’t need as much force as nickel-titanium alloys.
One model created at the facility is a knit mask woven through with copper, which is being used in medical facilities and by the US military.
Others were made using titanium, copper, chromium or zirconium.
Here’s one way to harvest water right out of the air | Sid Perkins | April 24, 2020 | Science News For StudentsThen he stuffed copper wool into each end to press the powder together.
Converting trash to valuable graphene in a flash | Alison Pearce Stevens | March 20, 2020 | Science News For StudentsUnder some of the previous rules that were in place, these companies had to maintain those copper networks no matter what, even though these networks were not providing consumers high-capacity, high-quality broadband.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTBut 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 | THE DAILY BEASTWhy 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe151-foot newborn waited in the harbor on her 171-foot pedestal, a huge French flag fluttering over her dark copper face.
128 Years Old and Still a Looker: Happy Birthday to Lady Liberty | Elizabeth Mitchell | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter all, there are much larger risks in this world than traces of copper in your water.
The vicar's wife sat before a huge book, in front of her were little piles of copper money.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBeds, in those days, were warmed with copper warming pans, and nightcaps adorned the slumbering heads of both sexes.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowSuch a furnace worked there for many years, until copper smelting was removed from Cornwall to Wales.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThe Japanese use both copper and silver pipes, most of them similar in shape and size to those used by the Chinese.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.One evening at tea, a copper kettle, with hot water, stood on the hob.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
British Dictionary definitions for copper (1 of 2)
/ (ˈkɒpə) /
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°C: Related 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
(tr) to coat or cover with copper
Origin of copper
1Derived forms of copper
- coppery, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for copper (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkɒpə) /
a slang word for policeman Often shortened to: cop
Origin of copper
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for copper
[ kŏp′ər ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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