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See under 1 (def 4).
a malleable, ductile, metallic element having a characteristic reddish-brown color: used in large quantities as an electrical conductor and in the manufacture of alloys, as brass and bronze. Symbol: Cu; atomic weight: 63.54; atomic number: 29; specific gravity: 8.92 at 20°C.
a metallic reddish brown.
a coin composed of copper, bronze, or the like, as the U.S. cent or the British penny.
any of several butterflies of the family Lycaenidae, as Lycaena hypophleas (American copper) having copper-colored wings spotted and edged with black.
a container made of copper.
a tool partly or wholly made of copper:
a soldering copper.
British. a large kettle, now usually made of iron, used for cooking or to boil laundry.
made of copper:
copper kettles.
reddish-brown; :
The copper sun sank into the sea.
to cover, coat, or sheathe with copper.
Informal. (def 6).
noun

a malleable ductile reddish metallic element occurring as the free metal, copper glance, and copper pyrites: used as an electrical and thermal conductor and in such alloys as brass and bronze. Symbol: Cu; atomic no: 29; atomic wt: 63.546; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 8.96; melting pt: 1084.87±+0.2°C; boiling pt: 2563°C related adjectives cupric cuprous related prefix cupro-
(as modifier): a copper coin

the reddish-brown colour of copper
(as adjective): copper hair

(informal) any copper or bronze coin
(mainly Brit) a large vessel, formerly of copper, used for boiling or washing
any of various small widely distributed butterflies of the genera Lycaena, Heodes, etc, typically having reddish-brown wings: family Lycaenidae
verb
(transitive) to coat or cover with copper
noun
a slang word for policeman Often shortened to cop
n.

malleable metallic element, Old English coper, from West Germanic *kupar (cf. 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).

Latin 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.

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

copper cop·per (kŏp’ər)
n.
Symbol Cu
A ductile malleable metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and is used for electrical wiring, water piping, and corrosion-resistant parts, either pure or in alloys such as brass and bronze. Atomic number 29; atomic weight 63.546; melting point 1,085°C; boiling point 2,562°C; specific gravity 8.96; valence 1, 2.
copper
(kŏp’ər)
Symbol Cu
A reddish-brown, ductile, malleable metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It is widely used for electrical wires, water pipes, and rust-resistant parts, either in its pure form or in alloys such as brass and bronze. Atomic number 29; atomic weight 63.546; melting point 1,083°C; boiling point 2,595°C; specific gravity 8.96; valence 1, 2. See Periodic Table. See Note at element.
Copper and Stone Age
See Chalcolithic.

noun

A police officer (1846+)
An informer; stool pigeon (1897+ Underworld)
Time taken off a prison sentence for good behavior or because one has informed on colleagues (1908+ Underworld)

verb

To bet against a card, roll of the dice, person, etc

[1864+ Gambling; fr the use of a special metal chip, often a copper cent, by a gambler to indicate a bet with the bank in faro]

derived from the Greek kupros (the island of Cyprus), called “Cyprian brass,” occurs only in the Authorized Version in Ezra 8:27. Elsewhere the Hebrew word (nehosheth) is improperly rendered “brass,” and sometimes “steel” (2 Sam. 22:35; Jer. 15:12). The “bow of steel” (Job 20:24; Ps. 18:34) should have been “bow of copper” (or “brass,” as in the R.V.). The vessels of “fine copper” of Ezra 8:27 were probably similar to those of “bright brass” mentioned in 1 Kings 7:45; Dan. 10:6. Tubal-cain was the first artificer in brass and iron (Gen. 4:22). Hiram was noted as a worker in brass (1 Kings 7:14). Copper abounded in Palestine (Deut. 8:9; Isa. 60:17; 1 Chr. 22:3, 14). All sorts of vessels in the tabernacle and the temple were made of it (Lev. 6:28; Num. 16:39; 2 Chr. 4:16; Ezra 8:27); also weapons of war (1 Sam. 17:5, 6, 38; 2 Sam. 21:16). Iron is mentioned only four times (Gen. 4:22; Lev. 26:19; Num. 31:22; 35:16) in the first four books of Moses, while copper (rendered “brass”) is mentioned forty times. (See BRASS.) We find mention of Alexander (q.v.), a “coppersmith” of Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:14).