copper

noun

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

   “Men talke much […] of the Philoſophers ſtone, that it turneth copper into gold; […]”

   “Through the clear smooth water her copper shone brightly; […]”

   “In the Siberian Traps crustal contamination of mantle magmas is seen to cause the segregation of large volumes of sulfide, which host giant deposits of nickel, copper, and platinum group metals in associated intrusions.”

   “[Donald] Trump's July 8 announcement of a 50% tariff on copper imports beginning August 1 sent prices surging 13% in one day, up to a record high of $5.69 per pound.”

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

   “Near-synonyms: chestnut, russet”

3. (broadly, countable)The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
4. (broadly, countable, dated)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.

   “Coppers are generally good for a year, if the battery is carefully attended; they should, however, be removed before they have increased to such a size that their removal might cause the destruction of the glass jars.”

   “Every millwright should have some soldering tools, and he ought to know how to use them. […] Coppers weighing one pound each are the smallest ever needed in a paper mill, and one 2-pound copper should be bought also. […] Having made the solder and bought "coppers," the first job is to tin them. Some coppers come already tinned. I didn't buy mine, so they surely were not tinned.”

   “When new battery coppers are received, they should be placed where they will not be exposed to extreme heat, or to the sun, whether they are in a box or not. […] Coppers are not consumed, and their life depends largely on the manner in which they are used.”

5. (broadly, countable, dated)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.

   “[H]e slid down from his seat, and darted into the public house, reappearing in a few moments with a copper of ale and a horn in his hand: he and another man held open the horses' mouths, and poured the ale through the horn down their throats.”

6. (broadly, countable, dated)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.

   “[H]e went to sleep, taking first out of his pocket a book,[…]. It proved to be my old favorite author, [John] Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in Dutch, finely printed on good paper, with copper cuts, a dress better than I had ever seen it wear in its own language.”

7. (broadly, countable, dated)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.

   “Light VVenches may proue plagues to men forſ[w]orne, / If ſo our Copper byes no better treaſure.”

   “I remember the time when rascally company were kept out, and the unlucky boys with toys and balls were whipped away by a beadle. I have seen this done indeed of late, but then it has been only to chase away the lads from chuck, that the beadle might seize their copper.”

   “I had in my pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. As he [the preacher George Whitefield] proceeded I began to soften, and concluded to give the coppers. […] [H]e finish'd so admirably, that I empty'd my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all.”

   “[O]ne feels a difficulty in offering a princess the change for a shilling in coppers.”

   “"I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." / "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal.[…]."”

8. (US, broadly, countable, dated)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.
9. (Australia, UK, broadly, countable, dated)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.

   “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.”

   “But the chiefeſt of their buſineſs vvas to get Coppers; for each Ship having novv ſo many Men, our Pots vvould not boil Victuals faſt enough, though vve kept them boiling all the day. About 2 or 3 days after they return aboard vvith 3 Coppers.”

   “When the water in the copper boils, the arſenic and tartar, vvell pounded, is put into it, and kept boiling till the liquor is reduced to about half.”

   “[W]hat can you expect from officers who boil their 'tators in a cabbage-net hanging in the ship's coppers, when they know that there is one-third of a stove allowed them to cook their victuals on?”

10. (Australia, UK, slang, transitive)A police officer, especially one in uniform.

    “If you're caught by a copper, it's his job to pinch you, isn't it? You can hold him up with a gun, but he's got to come on, even if he gets killed. […] It's not fair on the coppers either; they've got their duty to do, and it's dirty to kill a man for doing his job.”

    “A uniformed copper came in. The chief jerked a thumb at MacSwain and said: "Take this baby down cellar and let the wrecking crew work on him before you lock him up."”

    “One evening as I was lying down in Leicester Square / I was picked up by the coppers and kicked in the balls”

11. (US, dated, historical, slang, transitive)Chiefly preceded by a descriptive word: a private detective or a security guard.

    “I went to the phone and asked the girl to send the house copper [of the hotel] up.”

12. (Australia, UK, slang, transitive)An informer.
13. (Australia, UK, slang, transitive)An informer.
14. (slang, transitive)A component of the cop (“conical ball of thread wound on to the spindle”) in a spinning machine.

adj

1. Made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).

   “Contrasting vividly with this ruin was the neat dresser, stained in the fashion, pale green, and with a number of copper and tin vessels below it, the wall-paper imitating blue and white tiles, and a couple of coolured supplements fluttering from the walls above the kitchen range.”

2. Having the reddish-brown colour of copper.

   “All in a hot and copper sky, / The bloody Sun, at noon, / Right up above the mast did stand, / No bigger than the Moon.”

   “Cold and terror had produced a chance in her complexion, which now wore a yellow, or sort of copper hue.”

   “She seemed so alive, with her shining eyes and her copper hair and her jokes and funny stories, but there was always a mystery at the center of her life, the sound of wild sobbing my mother said she heard coming through the floor.”

verb

1. (transitive)To coat or sheathe (something) with copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
2. (transitive)To give (something) a colour by applying a copper salt.
3. (dated, transitive)To give copper coins to (someone); to pay.
4. (US, transitive)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.
5. (US, figuratively, transitive)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.

   “[T]hey are going to take this whole Mississippi, and twist it around and make it run several miles up stream. […] [Y]ou have n't got to believe they can do such miracles, have you? And yet you ain't absolutely obliged to believe they can't. I reckon the safe way, where a man can afford it, is to copper the operation, and at the same time buy enough property in Vicksburg to square you up in case they win.”

   “The dive is off. Better copper your bets while there's time.”

6. (UK, slang, transitive)To inform on (someone) to the police; to nark.
7. (US, archaic, slang, transitive)To arrest (someone).
8. (UK, intransitive, slang, transitive)To inform on someone to the police.

   “"It's no use your staying here, because I'm not going to copper anybody," said the woman truculently. "My lodgers are respectable people; they keep themselves to themselves, and I keep myself to myself.[…]"”

name

1. A surname.