Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Phrase Cop Out By Etymonline

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Origin and history of cop out

cop out

by 1942, noun ("a cowardly escape, an evasion") and verb ("sneak off, escape, give up without trying"), American English slang, perhaps from cop a plea (c. 1925) "plead guilty to lesser charges," which is probably from northern British slang cop "to catch" (a scolding, etc.); as in cop a feel "grope someone" (1930s); see cop (v.). Sense of "evade an issue or problem" is from 1960s.

also from 1942

Entries linking to cop out

cop(v.)

"to seize, to catch, capture or arrest as a prisoner," 1704, northern British dialect, of uncertain origin; perhaps ultimately from French caper "seize, to take," from Latin capere "to take" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp"); or from Dutch kapen "to take," from Old Frisian capia "to buy," which is related to Old English ceapian (see cheap). Related: Copped; copping.

copout(n.)

"a cowardly escape, an evasion," 1942; see cop out.

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Trends of cop out

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

shamusProbably influenced by Celtic Seamus "James," as a typical name for an Irish cop....attercopatorcræft "art of poisoning") + copp "top, summit, round head," probably also "spider" (compare cobweb and Dutch spinne-cop...chapman.) + West Germanic *kaup- (source also of Old Saxon cop, Old Frisian kap "trade, purchase," Middle Dutch coop, Dutch koop...prominentmid-15c., "projecting, jutting out, standing out beyond the line or surface of something," from Latin prominentem (nominative...prominens) "prominent," present participle of prominere "jut or stand out, be prominent, overhang," from pro "before, forward..." (see pro-) + -minere "project, jut out," which is related to mons "hill" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project")...., standing out from among the multitude," from 1849....excerpt"to take or cull out" a passage in a written or printed work, "select, cite, extract," early 15c....(implied in past participle excerpte "taken from a book"), from Latin excerptus, past participle of excerpere "pluck out,...pick out, extract," figuratively "choose, select, gather," also "to leave out, omit," from ex "out" (see ex-) + carpere...obliterate"blot out, cause to disappear, remove all traces of, wipe out," c. 1600, from Latin obliteratus, past participle of obliterare..."cause to disappear, blot out (a writing), erase, efface," figuratively "cause to be forgotten, blot out a remembrance,"...The verb was abstracted from the phrase literas scribere "write across letters, strike out letters."...spawnearly 15c., spawnen, of a fish, "to shed roe" (intransitive), from Anglo-French espaundre, Old French espandre "to spread out..., pour out, scatter, strew," in reference to fish, "to spawn" (Modern French épandre), from Latin expandere "to spread out..., unfold, expand," from ex "out" (see ex-) + pandere "to spread, stretch" (from nasalized form of PIE root *pete- "to spread...The etymological notion seems to be of a "spreading out" of fish eggs released in water....pleaearly 13c., ple, "lawsuit, legal conflict," also "strife, contention, complaint," from Anglo-French plai (late 12c.), Old French plait "lawsuit, decision, decree" (9c.), from Medieval Latin placitum, plactum "lawsuit," in classical Latin, "opinion, decree," literally "that which feelOld English felan "to touch or have a sensory experience of; perceive, sense (something)," in late Old English "have a mental perception," from Proto-Germanic *foljanan (source also of Old Saxon gifolian, Old Frisian fela, Dutch voelen, Old High German vuolen, German fühlen "to foutexpressing motion or direction from within or from a central point, also removal from proper place or position, Old English ut "out, without, outside," from Proto-Germanic *ūt- (Old Norse, Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Gothic ut, Middle Dutch uut, Dutch uit, Old High German uz, German

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20outCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20out">Etymology of cop out by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of cop out. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 23, 2025, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20outCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of cop out," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed December 23, 2025, https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20out.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of cop out." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20out. Accessed 23 December, 2025.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of cop out." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/cop%20out (accessed December 23, 2025).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near cop out

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