copper

CEFRB1

/ˈkɒpə/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A soft reddish-brown metal used in wires and pipes.

  2. 02

    noun

    A brown-colored coin or a police officer, informally.

Examples

  • Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

  • Mum would heat the water in a copper in the kitchen and transfer it to the tin bath.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [qʰɔpɑ]
  • /ˈkɒ-/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).

  2. A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element.

  3. In full copper butterfly: any of various lycaenid butterflies with copper-coloured upperwings, especially those of the genera Lycaena and Paralucia.

More examples

In context

  • Socks can’t be boiled up in the copper with the sheets and towels or they shrink.

  • Here comes a copper!

  • Near-synonyms: chestnut, russet

Synonyms

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Origin

noun

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”)