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cop 1 (kŏp)
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n.
Informal
1. A police officer.
2. One that regulates certain behaviors or actions: "Faced with the world recession of the early 1980s, ... the World Bank ... became a stern economic taskmaster and cop" (Richard J. Barnet).

[Short for COPPER2.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
cop 2 (kŏp) Slang
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tr.v. copped, cop·ping, cops
1.
a. To get hold of; gain or win: a show that copped four awards; copped a ticket to the game.
b. To perceive by one of the senses: "copped a quick look at the gentleman ... on the right" (Gail Sheehy).
2. To take unlawfully or without permission; steal.
Phrasal Verb:
cop out
To avoid fulfilling a commitment or responsibility; renege: copped out on my friends; copped out by ducking the issue.
Idioms:
cop a feel
To fondle someone sexually in a surreptitious way.
cop a plea
To plead guilty to a lesser charge so as to avoid standing trial for a more serious charge.

[Probably variant of cap, to catch, from Old French caper, from Latin capere; see CAPTURE.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
cop 3 (kŏp)
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n.
1. A cone-shaped or cylindrical roll of yarn or thread wound on a spindle.
2. Chiefly British A summit or crest, as of a hill.

[Middle English, summit, from Old English.]
(click for a larger image)
cop3

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Cop.
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abbr.
Coptic

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.