Forms: 4–6 coup(e, 5 (Destr. Troy) caup, cawp, 6–7 coap(e, 5– cope. [a. F. couper, in OF. colper, coper, couper to strike (now to cut), f. OF. colp, cop, coup blow:—med.L. colpus, colapus:—L. colaphus blow with the fist: see COUP.]
I. intr. (without with).
† 1. To strike; to come to blows, encounter, join battle, engage, meet in the shock of battle or tournament. (Often with together.) Obs.
c. 1350. [see COPING vbl. sb.1]
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 7231. [Thay] coupid to-gedur. Ibid., 6486. Thay caupit at the knight, kene men of armys. Ibid., 7775. Þai caupit togedur That bothe were backward þere borne of þere horses.
a. 1471. Chron. Rich. II., etc. (Camden, 1856), 8. The erl of Penbroke was slayn with that other knyghtis speer, as he cast it from him whanne thay hadde coupid.
1485. Caxton, Paris & V. (1868), 18. And coped togyder so fyersly they breke theyr speres.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 261. Both the hostis wolde fayne haue … copt together [properabat comittere].
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. clxviii. [clxiv.] 468. The thyrde course their horses refused and wolde nat cope.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Ann., II. iii. (1622), 36. They had coped, if Stertinius had not runne in, and held backe Flauius.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., VIII. vii. (1632), 424. Foot to foot, and man to man, coped together in a most cruell fight.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XVIII. 65. Swear to stand neutral, while we cope in fight.
fig. 1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 616/1. Euerye chylde may see howe lothe he is to come nere and cope.
1755. Garrick, On Johnson’s Dict., in Boswell, an. 1755. In satires, epistles, and odes would they cope.
II. Cope with.
† 2. To come to blows with, engage, encounter, contend, fight with. Obs. or arch. (exc. as in 3).
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1262. One caupet with hym kenely … And set hym a sad dynt.
a. 1467. Gregory, Chron. (1876), 219. He wolde nevyr cope whithe no man.
1548. Hall, Chron., 175 b. He neither would nor durst once medle or coupe with the Erles navie.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Ann., XIII. vi. (1622), 186. One Iulius Montanus … by chance coping with the Prince in the darke, and rudely thrusting him backe.
1640. Yorke, Union Hon., 45. Hee also unhorsed … a Valiant Knight, and at last coped with Earle Henry himselfe.
1660. Hickeringill, Jamaica (1661), 42. The Spaniards never durst cope with our men in the plain field.
1774. J. Bryant, Mythol., II. 47. He slew every person who ventured to cope with him.
a. 1839. Praed, Poems (1864), II. 15. Woe to the wretch whose single might Copes with dark Allan in the fight!
3. To contend with in a well-matched fight, to contest the field with, to be or prove oneself a match for. (Usually with can, able to, or the like.) a. in a lit. contest or battle.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 33. A lucklesse stripling, not a matche too coape with Achilles.
1710. Addison, Whig Exam., No. 3, ¶ 4. They have not been able to cope with the troops of Athens.
1777. J. Sullivan, in Sparks, Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853), II. 63. If your Excellency thinks your force sufficient to Cope with his.
1868. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. x. 501. It would be impossible to gather an army able to cope with the insurgents.
b. in a fig. contest.
1651. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., II. xxvi. (1739), 117. None must cope with him, he must run and out-run all.
1684. trans. Bonet’s Merc. Compit., X. 347. The onely [remedy] … able to cope with so stout an Enemy.
1711. C. Davenant, Acc. Trade Gt. Brit., 67. To be in a lasting Condition to Cope with the Dutch in Trade.
1782. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, Nov. His being too unwell to cope with Dr. Johnson.
1812. Byron, Ch. Har., II. xxxiv. Brisk Confidence still best with woman copes.
1875. Emerson, Lett. & Soc. Aims, Greatness, Wks. (Bohn), III. 270. Let the scholar measure his valour by his power to cope with intellectual giants.
4. fig. To contend with, face, encounter (dangers, difficulties, etc.). Often implying successful encounter.
1641. Milton, Ch. Govt., II. iii. Two heads of evil he has to cope with, ignorance and malice.
1726. Shelvocke, Voy. Round World (1757), 327. The difficulties and hazards we had to cope with.
1835. Ure, Philos. Manuf., 16. He was … little qualified to cope with the hardships of a new manufacturing enterprise.
1850. Prescott, Peru, II. 83. His nature was too gentle to cope with the bold and fiercer temper of his brother.
1850. Robertson, Serm., Ser. III. i. (1872), 8. The work of coping with evil.
a. 1862. Buckle, Civiliz. (1869), III. v. 293. Unfit to cope with the problems.
† 5. To meet with; to come into contact, touch, or relation with: to have to do with. Obs. or arch.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 99. But she, that never coped with stranger eyes, Could pick no meaning from their parling looks. Ibid. (1602), Ham., III. ii. 60. As just a man As ere my Conuersation coap’d withall. Ibid. (1611), Wint. T., IV. iv. 435. Thou, fresh peece Of excellent Witchcraft, who of force must know The royall Foole thou coap’st with.
1640. Brome, Sparagus Gard., II. v. His malice works upon me, Past all the drugs and all the Doctors Counsells, That ere I cop’d with.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 84. If we our selves were not body as well as soul, our understandings would never have coped with such a thing as placeness or stowage at all.
1822. Hazlitt, Table-t., Ser. II. iii. (1869), 75. A heartier friend or honester critic I never coped withal.
1865. Swinburne, Poems & Ball. At Eleusis, 101. How as mate He coped with Hades, yokefellow in sin.
III. trans.
† 6. To cope blows: see quot. Obs.
1569. J. Sanford, trans. Agrippa’s Van. Artes, 125 b. This Arte [War] … dothe trimly teache to cope blowes, to auoyde them that be geuen, or to warde them with the buckler.
† 7. To meet, meet with, come into contact (hostile or friendly) with. Obs.
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 888. Finding their enemie to be so curst, They all straine curt’sie who shall cope him first. Ibid. (1600), A. Y. L., II. i. 67. I loue to cope him in these sullen fits. Ibid. (1604), Oth., IV. i. 87. Where, how, how oft, how long ago, and when He hath, and is againe to cope your wife. Ibid. (1606), Tr. & Cr., I. ii. 34. They say he yesterday cop’d Hector in the battell and stroke him downe.
1603. Florio, Montaigne (1632), 489. His [Cupid’s] power checketh and copes all other might.
† 8. To meet or match (a thing) with (an equivalent). Obs. rare. Cf. RECOUP.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., IV. i. 412. Most worthy gentleman … Three thousand Ducats due vnto the Iew We freely cope your curteous paines withall.
9. To be a match for, face, encounter (cf. 4). rare.
1872. Tennyson, Gareth & Lynette, 1144. Saving that you mistrusted our good King Would … yield you, asking, one Not fit to cope your quest.
