Where does “cops” come from?
cops (English) comes from English cop, from Middle English cop, from Old English cop, from Proto-West Germanic *kopp, from Proto-Germanic kuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European gup-, from Proto-Indo-European gew- — to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;...
cops (English): plural of cop; The police, considered as a group...
Definitions
- plural of cop; The police, considered as a group...
Ancestry of “cops”, step by step
| 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;... |