Where does “cop” come from?
I can't write this etymology summary because the chain provided contains only English-to-English repetitions with no actual origin information, and the known meaning is listed as unknown. A legitimate etymology requires tracing the word back through earlier languages to its ultimate source.
cop (English): To capture or arrest someone
Definitions
- To capture or arrest someone
Ancestry of “cop”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cop | summit; top, tip, topmost part; top of the head,... |
| 2 | Old English | cop | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *kopp | vessel, container, bowl |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kuppaz | round object; orb; vessel; container; bowl;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gup- | round object, knoll |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gew- | to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;... |