copperplate

[ kop-er-pleyt ]

noun

1. a plate of polished copper on which a writing, picture, or design is made by engraving or etching.
2. a print or impression from such a plate.
3. engraving or printing of this kind.
4. a fine, elegant style of handwriting.

copperplate

/ ˈkɒpəˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a polished copper plate on which a design has been etched or engraved
2. a print taken from such a plate
3. a fine handwriting based upon that used on copperplate engravings

Word History and Origins

Origin of copperplate¹

First recorded in 1655–65; copper ¹ + plate ¹

Example Sentences

In fact, only a single dot over an i had been missing at the end, says the calligrapher, with no nightmare spelling mistakes discovered in the hand-stitched pages of copperplate writing.

From BBC

The copperplate lines are so exact they mimic the individual venation of feathers; the neck of a gyrfalcon takes on all the ripply realism of moiréd silk.

From New York Times

In Nicole Phillip-Dowe's office at the University of the West Indies, in Grenada's capital St George's, we pored over record books, where officials with copperplate handwriting recorded the annual births and deaths of the enslaved.

From BBC

He learned his reading and had a fair copperplate hand.

From Literature

Screenings at the Yale University Art Gallery are accompanied by an exhibition of copperplate engravings, experimental electroplated copper reliefs and massive sculptures cast from burned-out trees.

From Washington Post