What is "copper"

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.

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.

"policeman," 1846; agent noun from cop (v.).

malleable metallic element, Old English coper, from Proto-Germanic *kupar (cognates: Middle Dutch koper, Old Norse koparr, Old High German kupfar), from Late Latin cuprum, contraction of Latin Cyprium (aes) "Cyprian (metal)," after Greek Kyprios "Cyprus" (see Cyprus).\n

\nLatin aes originally was "copper," but this was extended to its alloy with tin, bronze, and as this was far more extensively used than pure copper, the word's primary sense shifted to the alloy and a new word evolved for "copper," from the Latin form of the name of the island of Cyprus, where copper was mined. Aes passed into Germanic (which originally did not distinguish copper from its alloys) and became English ore. In Latin, aes was the common word for "cash, coin, debt, wages" in many figurative expressions. Chemical symbol Cu is from cuprum.

Etymology 1

1. 1 Made of copper. 2 Having the reddish-brown colour/color of copper. n. 1 (lb en uncountable) a reddish-brown, malleable, ductile metallic element with high electrical and thermal conductivity, symbol Cu, and atomic number 29. 2 (lb en countable) Something made of copper. 3 The reddish-brown colour/color of copper. 4 (lb en countable) A copper coin. 5 (lb en UK archaic) A large pot, often used for heating water or washing clothes over a fire. In Australasia at least, it could also be a fixed installation made of copper, with a fire underneath and its own chimney. Generally made redundant by the advent of the washing machine. v

2. To sheathe or coat with copper. Etymology 2

   n. (context slang law enforcement English) A police officer.

1. n. 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: Cu, atomic number 29]

2. a copper penny

3. uncomplimentary terms for a policeman [syn: bull, cop, fuzz, pig]

4. a reddish brown the color of polished copper [syn: copper color]

5. any of various small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae having copper colored wings

v. coat with a layer of copper

Copper is a chemical element with symbol Cu (from ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a reddish-orange color. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.

Copper is found as a pure metal in nature, and this was the first source of the metal to be used by humans, ca. 8000 BC. It was the first metal to be smelted from its ore, ca. 5000 BC, the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold, ca. 4000 BC and the first metal to be purposefully alloyed with another metal, tin, to create bronze, ca. 3,500 BC.

In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, the origin of the name of the metal, from aes сyprium (metal of Cyprus), later corrupted to сuprum, from which the words copper (English), cuivre (French), Koper (Dutch) and Kupfer (German) are all derived. The commonly encountered compounds are copper(II) salts, which often impart blue or green colors to such minerals as azurite, malachite, and turquoise, and have been used widely and historically as pigments. Architectural structures built with copper (usually roofing elements) corrode to give green verdigris (or patina). Decorative art prominently features copper, both in the elemental metal and in compounds as pigments. Copper compounds are also used as bacteriostatic agents, fungicides, and wood preservatives.

Copper is essential to all living organisms as a trace dietary mineral because it is a key constituent of the respiratory enzyme complex cytochrome c oxidase. In molluscs and crustacea copper is a constituent of the blood pigment hemocyanin, replaced by the iron-complexed hemoglobin in fish and other vertebrates. In humans, copper is found mainly in the liver, muscle, and bone. The adult body contains between 1.4 and 2.1 mg of copper per kilogram of body weight. Hence a healthy human weighing 60 kilogram contains approximately 0.1 g of copper. However, this small amount is essential to the overall human well-being.

Copper is a reddish brown color that resembles the metal copper. The first recorded use of copper as a color name in English was in 1594.

Copper is a comic strip by Kazu Kibuishi that has enjoyed both webcomic and print appearances.

Copper is a reddish-colored metallic element, widely used in manufacturing and industry.

Copper may also refer to:

In heraldry, copper is the tincture of metallic copper. Copper has been introduced in Canadian heraldry. It is considered a metal along with Argent (silver) and Or (gold) and should be depicted as bright, new copper metal.

While not commonly used, it features prominently in the arms of the City of Whitehorse, Yukon.

Copper is a drama television series created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos for BBC America. It is set in 1860s New York City, during the American Civil War, and stars Tom Weston-Jones as an Irish immigrant policeman, or "copper", who patrols and resides in the Five Points neighborhood. Other cast members include Kyle Schmid, Anastasia Griffith, and Franka Potente.

The series is BBC America's first original scripted program after previously only airing co-productions and shows from the United Kingdom. Fontana, Rokos, Barry Levinson, and Christina Wayne are executive producers of the series.

The first season of 10 episodes premiered on August 19, 2012. The series was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes, which premiered on June 23, 2013. On September 19, 2013, Coppers cancellation was announced, three days before its second season finale aired.