Where does “copse” come from?
Copse comes from Middle English copies, from Old French copeiz, from Vulgar Latin colpaticium, from Latin colpare meaning to strike or cut, derived from colpus, ultimately from Ancient Greek κόλαφος meaning a blow.
copse (English): A thicket of small trees or shrubs; To trim or...
Definitions
- A thicket of small trees or shrubs; To trim or...
Ancestry of “copse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | coppice | A grove of small growth; a thicket of brushwood;... |
| 2 | Middle English | copies | — |
| 3 | Old French | copeiz | a cut-over woods |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | colpaticium | having the quality of being cut |
| 5 | Latin | colpāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | colpus | stroke; strike; hit |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | κόλπος | bosom, lap; a fold in fabric around the bosom;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷelp- | to bend; to curve, arch |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |