Coups

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kuːz/

Definitions

1. A notable and often forceful overthrow of a government or leadership within an organization
2. A sudden and illegal seizure of power, typically involving military or political strategy
3. An unexpected and decisive victory or advantage, especially in a competitive context

Etymology: "Coups" is the plural of "coup", and the singular has a surprisingly tangled ancestry. Its modern sense of a sudden seizure of power is a late import from French, which had itself borrowed the word from a Latin term for a blow to the face. The earliest route runs from the Latin "colaphus", meaning a cuff or slap, through Late Latin "colpus" into Old French as "coup", a stroke or blow. English took that same Old French word in medieval times as "coupe", but the spelling and pronunciation diverged, and the form that survives today was reborrowed from modern French, where "coup" still means a blow or strike. A separate strand entered English independently. Middle English "coupen" meant to buy or to pay for, and it came from Old Norse "kaupa", meaning to barter or trade. That word is unrelated to the blow sense, which makes "coup" a rare case of two unconnected histories converging on one spelling.

Synonyms: overthrows, revolts, insurrections, putsches, takeovers

Antonyms: stability, continuity, order, normalcy, peace