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
   "The old building still had its original copper wiring";
   - Cu, atomic number 29
    
2. A reddish-brown colour resembling the colour of polished copper
   "Her hair shimmered with copper colour highlights";
   - copper color [US], copper colour [Brit, Cdn]
    
3. A copper penny
   "He found an old copper in his grandfather's coin collection"
    
4. Any of various small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae having coppery wings
   "The copper butterfly's wings shimmered in the sunlight"
    
5. [Brit, informal] Uncomplimentary term for a policeman
   "The criminals scattered when they heard the coppers were coming";
   - bull [US, informal], cop [informal], pig [informal], bizzy [UK, dialect, informal], peeler [Brit, archaic], rozzer [Brit, informal], fed [Brit, informal]

1. Coat with a layer of copper
   "They coppered the bottom of the ship to prevent corrosion"

Derived forms: coppering, coppers, coppered

Type of: bobby [Brit, informal], burnt sienna, cent, centime, coat, conductor, lycaenid, lycaenid butterfly, mahogany, metal, metallic element, officer, penny, plod [Brit, informal], police officer, reddish brown, sepia, surface, Venetian red

Part of: bornite, brass, bronze, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, copper glance, copper pyrites, cuprite, genus Lycaena, Lycaena, malachite, peacock ore

Encyclopedia: Copper, Bronze and Iron Age sites in Kosovo