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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

copper.

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

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element.

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

    broadly · uncountable
  3. The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1). In full copper butterfly: any of various lycaenid butterflies with copper-coloured upperwings, especially those of the genera Lycaena and Paralucia.

    broadly · countable
  4. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.

    broadly · countable · dated
  5. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item. A copper mug used for drinking alcoholic beverages.

    broadly · countable · dated
  6. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item. A copper sheet on which an image or writing is engraved.

    broadly · countable · dated
  7. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item. A coin, typically of a small denomination, originally made of copper and now chiefly of other metals such as bronze; specifically, an English or British penny or halfpenny; also, a United States cent; (uncountable) coins made of copper collectively.

    broadly · countable · dated
  8. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item. A coin, typically of a small denomination, originally made of copper and now chiefly of other metals such as bronze; specifically, an English or British penny or halfpenny; also, a United States cent; (uncountable) coins made of copper collectively. In the game of faro: originally a copper coin, now usually a small disc or token, placed on a playing card to indicate that a player bets against that card.

    US · broadly · countable · dated
  9. Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item. A large pot, originally made of copper but later often of iron, filled with water and heated over a fire for cooking, washing clothes, etc.

    Australia · UK · broadly · countable · dated
    Mum would heat the water in a copper in the kitchen and transfer it to the tin bath.
    Socks can’t be boiled up in the copper with the sheets and towels or they shrink.
Where this word comes from

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).

adj/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. Made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).

  2. Having the reddish-brown colour of copper.

Where this word comes from

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).

verb/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. To coat or sheathe (something) with copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).

    transitive
  2. To give (something) a colour by applying a copper salt.

    transitive
  3. To give copper coins to (someone); to pay.

    dated · transitive
  4. In the game of faro: to place a copper coin, or now usually a small disc or token, on (a playing card) to indicate that a player bets against that card.

    US · transitive
  5. In the game of faro: to place a copper coin, or now usually a small disc or token, on (a playing card) to indicate that a player bets against that card. To bet against (something).

    US · figuratively · transitive
Where this word comes from

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).

noun/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. A police officer, especially one in uniform.

    Australia · UK · slang · transitive
  2. Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word: a private detective or a security guard.

    US · dated · historical · slang · transitive
  3. An informer. A person working as an informer for the police; a nark

    Australia · UK · slang · transitive
  4. An informer. A prisoner who informs on fellow prisoners.

    Australia · UK · slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is probably derived from cop (“(informal, dated) to arrest or capture (someone)”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns), although cop is attested slightly later. The verb is derived from the noun.

verb/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. To inform on (someone) to the police; to nark.

    UK · slang · transitive
  2. To arrest (someone).

    US · archaic · slang · transitive
  3. To inform on someone to the police.

    UK · intransitive · slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is probably derived from cop (“(informal, dated) to arrest or capture (someone)”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns), although cop is attested slightly later. The verb is derived from the noun.

noun/ˈkɒpə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɑpəɹ/Canada, Canadian, General-American, dialectal/ˈkɒpə/Canada, US, dialectal/ˈkɔpə/Australia
  1. A component of the cop (“conical ball of thread wound on to the spindle”) in a spinning machine.

    slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

From cop (“ball of thread wound on to a spindle in a spinning machine”) + -er (suffix denoting things relating to the words to which the suffix is attached to).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.