A.Word.A.Day --copperplate

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May 21, 2012

This week's theme
Metallic metaphors

This week's words
copperplate
tin god
brass ring
iron curtain
silver lining

How to write copperplate

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

The word metal evokes different images based on who or where you are. To an investor it may be precious metals, to a music enthusiast it may mean heavy metal. Again, the term heavy metal has an entirely different meaning to a scientist.

This week we're going to get into metalinguistics, make that metal-linguistics. We're going metallic with words based on these metals and alloys: copper, tin, brass, iron, and silver.

copperplate

PRONUNCIATION:

(KOP-uhr-playt)

MEANING:

noun: A fine style of handwriting marked by flowing shapes and strokes of varying width.

ETYMOLOGY:

After engraved or etched copper plates used in printing on which this style of handwriting is based. Earliest documented use: 1663.

USAGE:

"Harriet opened the envelope and pulled out a thick piece of white paper covered in perfect copperplate handwriting."
Penny Vincenzi; Baby Knows Best; The Daily Express (London, UK); Mar 19, 2012.

See more usage examples of copperplate in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. -Walt Whitman, poet (1819-1892)

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