copperplate

noun, verb — 4 senses

copperplate

noun

US /ˈkɑpərˌpleɪt/

Etymology From copper + plate. For the plate used for engraving: in the 1660s. As a term for the printed product: from 1817. Of the especially clear writing used in such prints: from the 1820s. Use as a verb (the past participle copperplated) is from 1822.

1

A copper plate, either etched or engraved, to make a recessed pattern.

2

A print made from such a plate.

3

A style of handwriting based on that used on such prints; English round hand.

  • 1999. Stardust, Neil Gaiman, page 36 (2001 Perennial paperback edition). The village school was a fine school […] He learned his reading and had a fair copperplate hand.

copperplate

verb

Etymology From copper + plate. For the plate used for engraving: in the 1660s. As a term for the printed product: from 1817. Of the especially clear writing used in such prints: from the 1820s. Use as a verb (the past participle copperplated) is from 1822.

1

To engrave on and print from a copperplate.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.