cop

cop · verb¹

1. Old Frisian · derived fromkāpia“to buy”
2. Dutch · derived fromkapen“to seize, hijack”
3. Latin · derived fromcapiō“to seize, grasp”
4. Middle French · derived fromcaper“to capture”
5. Old English · inherited fromcopian“to plunder; pillage; steal”
6. Middle English · inherited from*coppen
7. English todaycop

Uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English *coppen, *copen, from Old English copian (“to plunder; pillage; steal”); or possibly from Middle French caper (“to capture”), from Latin capiō (“to seize, grasp”); or possibly from Dutch kapen (“to seize, hijack”), from Old Frisian kāpia (“to buy”), whence West Frisian keapje, Saterland Frisian koopje, North Frisian koopi, kuupe. Compare also Middle English copen (“to buy”), from Middle Dutch copen.

cop · noun²

Short for copper (“police officer”), itself from the verb cop (“to lay hold of”) above, in reference to arresting criminals. An erroneous folk etymology derives it from the acronym “Constable On Patrol” (C.O.P.).

cop · noun³

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*gew-“to bend, curve”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kuppaz“vault, round vessel, head”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kopp
4. Old English · derived fromcopp“top, summit, head”
5. Old English · inherited from*coppe
6. Middle English · inherited fromcoppe
7. English todaycop

From Middle English coppe, from Old English *coppe, as in ātorcoppe (“spider”, literally “venom head”), from Old English copp (“top, summit, head”), from Proto-West Germanic *kopp, from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz (“vault, round vessel, head”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve”). Cognate with Middle Dutch koppe, kobbe (“spider”). More at cobweb.

cop · noun⁴

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*gew-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kuppaz“vault, basin, round object”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kopp
4. Old English · inherited fromcop
5. Middle English · inherited fromcop
6. English todaycop

From Middle English cop, coppe, from Old English cop, copp, from Proto-West Germanic *kopp, from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz (“vault, basin, round object”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew-. Cognate with Dutch kop, German Kopf.

Words from the same roots