Etymograph

English

copper

Copper comes from Middle English coper ‘copper ore’, and goes back to Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς ‘Cyprus’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΚῠ́προςKŭ́pros‘Cyprus’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaes Cypriumliterally ‘Cyprian brass or copper’next step skipped: Late Latin cyprium
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcuprumcontraction of aes Cyprium
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150coper
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coper‘copper ore’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596copper

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΚῠ́προςKŭ́pros‘Cyprus’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaes Cypriumliterally ‘Cyprian brass or copper’next step skipped: Late Latin cyprium
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcuprumcontraction of aes Cyprium
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150coper
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coper‘copper ore’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596copper

Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare]: “Light VVenches may proue plagues to men forſ[w]orne, /…”

The story

The noun is inherited from Middle English coper, copper (‘copper ore; copper metal; bronze’), from Old English coper, copor (‘copper’), from Late Latin cuprum (‘copper’), a contraction of Latin aes Cyprium (literally “Cyprian brass or copper”), ultimately from Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς (Kŭ́pros, “Cyprus”) (a major source of copper during the Near East’s Bronze Age), from the name of a Northwest Semitic goddess from the root כ־ב־ר/ك ب ر (k b r) (‘related to being big, large; great; or old’).

Every English word from Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς

Today it means

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

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς / copper

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