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Definition of copper noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

copper

noun
 
 
/ˈkɒpə(r)/
 
/ˈkɑːpər/
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  1.  
    [uncountable]
    (symbol Cu)
    a chemical element. Copper is a soft red-brown metal used for making electric wires, pipes and coins.
    • a copper mine
    • copper pipes
    • copper-coloured hair
    Extra Examples
    • Her hair shone like burnished copper.
    • She works mainly in copper.
    • copper alloyed with arsenic
    Topics Physics and chemistryc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • pure
    • molten
    • beaten
    • …
    verb + copper
    • mine
    • produce
    • contain
    • …
    copper + noun
    • mine
    • miner
    • mining
    • …
    preposition
    • in copper
    phrases
    • an alloy of copper and something
    • an alloy of copper with something
    See full entry
  2. coppers
     [plural] (British English) brown coins that do not have much value
    • I only paid a few coppers for it.
  3. [countable] (British English, informal) a police officer
    • Apparently, her dad's a copper.
    • There are a couple of coppers waiting outside.
    Topics Law and justicec2
    4. Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Old English copor, coper (related to Dutch koper and German Kupfer), based on late Latin cuprum, from Latin cyprium aes ‘Cyprus metal’ (so named because Cyprus was the chief source).sense 3 mid 19th cent.: from cop + -er.
See copper in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee copper in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: copper

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