COPPER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does copper mean? 

• COPPER (noun)
  The noun COPPER has 5 senses:

1. 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

2. a copper penny

3. uncomplimentary terms for a policeman

4. a reddish-brown color resembling the color of polished copper

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

  Familiarity information: COPPER used as a noun is common.

• COPPER (verb)
  The verb COPPER has 1 sense:

1. coat with a layer of copper

  Familiarity information: COPPER used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COPPER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

atomic number 29; copper; Cu

Hypernyms ("copper" is a kind of...):

metal; metallic element (any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.)

conductor (a substance that readily conducts e.g. electricity and heat)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "copper"):

blister copper (an impure form of copper having a black blistered surface)

Holonyms ("copper" is a substance of...):

bornite; peacock ore (a mineral consisting of sulfides of copper and iron that is found in copper deposits)

chalcocite; copper glance (a heavy grey mineral that is an ore of copper)

chalcopyrite; copper pyrites (a yellow copper ore (CuFeS2) made up of copper and iron sulfide)

cuprite (a mineral consisting of cuprous oxide that is a source of copper)

malachite (a green or blue mineral used as an ore of copper and for making ornamental objects)

brass (an alloy of copper and zinc)

bronze (an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin)

Derivation:

copper (coat with a layer of copper)

cupric (of or containing divalent copper)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A copper penny

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("copper" is a kind of...):

cent; centime; penny (a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Uncomplimentary terms for a policeman

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

bull; cop; copper; fuzz; pig

Hypernyms ("copper" is a kind of...):

officer; police officer; policeman (a member of a police force)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A reddish-brown color resembling the color of polished copper

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

copper; copper color

Hypernyms ("copper" is a kind of...):

burnt sienna; mahogany; reddish brown; sepia; Venetian red (a shade of brown with a tinge of red)

Derivation:

coppery (of something having the color of copper)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Any of various small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae having coppery wings

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("copper" is a kind of...):

lycaenid; lycaenid butterfly (any of various butterflies of the family Lycaenidae)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "copper"):

American copper; Lycaena hypophlaeas (common copper butterfly of central and eastern North America)

Holonyms ("copper" is a member of...):

genus Lycaena; Lycaena (type genus of the Lycaenidae; small slender butterflies with upper surface of wings usually metallic blue or green or copper)

• COPPER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they copper    ... he / she / it coppers   
Past simple: coppered   
Past participle: coppered   
-ing form: coppering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Coat with a layer of copper

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "copper" is one way to...):

coat; surface (put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

copper (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)

 Context examples 

This protein is involved in sodium uptake, copper homeostasis, and NF-kappa-B signaling.

(COMM Domain-Containing Protein 1, NCI Thesaurus)

ATN-224 selectively chelates the copper ion in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in endothelial cells, thereby depleting SOD1 of copper and inhibiting its activity.

(Bis(choline)tetrathiomolybdate, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in the regulation of copper homeostasis, sodium uptake, and NF-kappa-B signaling.

(COMMD1 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes COMM domain-containing protein 1, plays a role in the modulation of NF-kappa-B signaling, copper homeostasis and sodium uptake.

(COMMD1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

A lipophilic copper(II)bis(thiosemicarbazone) labeled with the positron-emitting isotope (61)Cu with hypoxia-selective and radioisotopic activities.

(Copper Cu 61-ATSM, NCI Thesaurus)

The coat comes in blue merle, red (liver) merle, solid black and solid red (liver) all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points.

(Australian Shepherd, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in copper transport.

(ATP7A Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

A copper(l) complex used as an antiinflammatory drug and antiarthritic agent.

(Allocupreide Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)

Alpha-fetoprotein is found in monomeric as well as dimeric and trimeric forms, and binds copper, nickel, fatty acids and bilirubin.

(Alpha-fetoprotein, NCI Thesaurus/LocusLink)

Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate removes extra copper from the body.

(Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate, NCI Dictionary)