Coup D'État
/ˌkuː deɪˈtɑː/noun
A sudden, often violent seizure of power from a government.
Did you know?The phrase comes straight from French, where coup means a blow or strike, and it was used for abrupt political seizures long before English made it sound elegant.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
colpus
“a blow or strike”
Old French
Old French
coup
“a blow, strike, or hit”
17th Century
French
coup d'État
“a blow against the state; a sudden seizure of power”
18th Century
English
coup d'état
“a sudden overthrow of a government”
Modern English
English
coup d'état
“a sudden, usually unlawful seizure of political power”
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