copperplate scriptformally English round hand, also called anglaise in calligraphy, dominant style among 18th-century writing masters, whose copybooks were splendidly printed from models engraved on copper. The alphabet was fundamentally uncomplicated, but the basic strokes were often concealed in luxuriant flourishing and dazzling professional displays of “command of hand.” Hence, the term “copperplate hand” 19th-century term copperplate hand usually connotes calligraphic showiness and sleekness.