Copt
/kɒpt/noun
A member of the Coptic Christian community, especially an Egyptian Christian.
Did you know?“Copt” comes through Arabic from the Greek name for Egyptians, while Coptic Christians preserve one of Christianity’s oldest continuous traditions.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Ancient Egyptian
ḥwt-kꜣ-ptḥ
““House of the ka, or spiritual force, of Ptah,” the temple name of Memphis”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Aigyptos
“Egypt; derived from the Egyptian name associated with Memphis”
Late Antiquity
Greek
Aigyptios
“Egyptian”
7th–10th Century
Arabic
qubṭī
“Coptic or Egyptian Christian, derived from the Greek term for Egyptian”
14th Century
Middle English
Copt
“A Coptic Christian or Egyptian Christian”
Modern English
English
Copt
“A member of the Coptic Christian community, particularly in Egypt”