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cop

A cop is short for copper, 'one who cops', from the dialect verb cop 'to seize, catch'. Where that verb came from is uncertain. American crime fiction and Hollywood made cop the world's word for an American police officer.

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The story you may have heard

An acronym of 'Constable On Patrol', or a nickname for police uniforms with copper buttons or badges. Both appeared long after the verb cop 'to catch' and the noun copper.

The road to English

From English to American English

From American English to German

From American English to Russian

1704English

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

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