Where does “cop-killer” come from?
cop-killer (English) comes from English killer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
cop-killer (English): A person who deliberately kills an on-duty police officer
Definitions
- A person who deliberately kills an on-duty police officer
Ancestry of “cop-killer”, step by step
cop-killer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English killer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | killer | One who or that which kills; That which causes... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English cop
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cop | To capture or arrest someone |
| 2 | Middle English | cop | summit; top, tip, topmost part; top of the head,... |
| 3 | Old English | cop | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *kopp | vessel, container, bowl |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kuppaz | round object; orb; vessel; container; bowl;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gup- | round object, knoll |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gew- | to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;... |