Cop

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɒp/

Definitions

1. An officer of the law primarily tasked with upholding legal statutes while colloquially referred to as someone who secures or appropriates items unlawfully
2. A law enforcement official dedicated to the prevention of crime and, informally, a term for someone who illegally seizes possessions
3. A member of the police force who enforces laws and maintains public order ; to take or grab something, often by force or quickly

Etymology: The most striking part of this word's story is that the police sense is probably a shortening of an older slang term, "copper," meaning a police officer. That term came from the verb "cop," meaning "to lay hold of" or "to seize," the idea being that officers grab criminals. The verb itself is uncertain in origin. It may descend from Middle English forms linked to Old English "copian," meaning "to plunder" or "steal," or it may come from Middle French "caper," "to capture," which goes back to Latin "capere," "to seize." A Dutch source, "kapen," meaning "to seize" or "hijack," is also proposed. The word's most popular explanation is wrong. Many people believe it stands for "Constable On Patrol," but that is a folk etymology with no historical basis. The acronym was invented to fit the word, not the other way around. The noun is a clipping, so readers meeting the word in police contexts are looking at a shortened form of "copper" rather than a separate term with its own history.

Synonyms: police, officer, constable, lawman, patroller