copperplate

American  

[kop-er-pleyt] / ˈkɒp ərˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a plate of polished copper on which a writing, picture, or design is made by engraving or etching.

2. a print or impression from such a plate.

3. engraving or printing of this kind.

4. a fine, elegant style of handwriting.

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copperplate British  

/ ˈkɒpəˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a polished copper plate on which a design has been etched or engraved

2. a print taken from such a plate

3. a fine handwriting based upon that used on copperplate engravings

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Etymology

Origin of copperplate

First recorded in 1655–65; copper ¹ + plate ¹

Example Sentences

In Nicole Phillip-Dowe's office at the University of the West Indies, in Grenada's capital St George's, we pored over record books, where officials with copperplate handwriting recorded the annual births and deaths of the enslaved.

From BBC • May 10, 2022

Screenings at the Yale University Art Gallery are accompanied by an exhibition of copperplate engravings, experimental electroplated copper reliefs and massive sculptures cast from burned-out trees.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2019

Engraving demanded physical strength to cut the surface of the copperplate; etching, the use of hazardous nitric acid to dissolve away the metal.

From Nature • Oct. 8, 2018

English copperplate, also known as English roundhand, sped things up.

From Washington Times • Aug. 5, 2017

Below each gay scrap of color was a scientific name in my grandfather’s careful copperplate script.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly