coup

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“
The people who had supplied the requisite information for the coup were always given their share From this general talk Allister descended to particulars.

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Definitions (47)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. noun A brilliantly executed stratagem; a triumph.
  2. noun A coup d'état.
  3. noun A sudden appropriation of leadership or power; a takeover: a boardroom coup.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (38)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (43)

  • Still, Condoleeza Rice squawked loudest and longest about how horrible the coup was and how destructive it was to constitutional order. —  DownWithTyranny!
  • According to Mr. Liu Wei, spokesman for President Yo, the coup is the end result of a government experimental cloning project "gone horribly wrong". —  Front page feed
  • Two days later, in the midst of massive street protests by Chávez supporters, military officers loyal to the president returned him to office, and the leaders of the coup were arrested. —  Global Issues News Headlines
  • The four top military officers involved in the coup were acquitted by the Supreme Court. —  Global Issues News Headlines
  • The secret stalwart defense of this coup is the dirty little secret of the national Democratic Party. —  Dissident Voice
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Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French, stroke, from Old French colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus, from Greek kolaphos.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. Also written cowp; from Middle English coupen, cowpen, caupen, cawpen, strike, fight, from Old French couper, coper, colper, French couper, cut, cleave, slit, carve, hew, etc. (orig. to strike, cut with a blow), = Spanish Portuguese golpear = Italian colpire, strike, smite, hit; in Roman from the noun, but in English regarded rather as the source of the noun: see coup, n. This verb and its variant cope seem to have been confused with forms of chop (Dutch koppen, etc.): see cope, and cf. chop.
  2. In Scots also written cowp; from Middle English coup, caup, from Old French coup, caup, cop, colp, French coup = Provencal colp, cop = Spanish Portuguese golpe = Italian colpo, from Middle Latin colpus, a blow, stroke, a reduced form of Latin colaphus, a blow with the fist, buffet, cuff, from Greek κόλαφος, a blow with the fist, buffet, cuff, from κολάπτειν, peck, strike: see coup, v.
  3. from Icelandic kaupa = Swedish köpa, buy, bargain, = English cheap, v., = D. koopen, later English cope: see cheap, v., and cope.
  4. French, a stroke, blow: see coup, n.
 

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