Coptic
/ˈkɒp.tɪk/noun
Relating to the Christian people, language, or church of Egypt.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek *Aigyptios* “Egyptian,” but in medieval Arabic it was reshaped into *qibṭ*, the source of “Copt,” tying a modern identity to the old name for Egypt itself.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Aigyptios
“Egyptian; of Egypt”
Late Latin
Latin
Aegyptius
“Egyptian; of Egypt”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
qubṭ / qibṭ
“the Copts; Egyptians”
Old French
Old French
copte
“a Copt; Egyptian Christian”
Modern English
English
Coptic
“relating to the Copts, their language, or their church”