- cope (v.)
- c.1350, from O.Fr. couper, earlier colper "hit, punch," from colp "a blow" (see coup). Meaning of "come to blows with" evolved 17c. into "handle successfully," perhaps influenced by obs. cope "to traffic" (15c.-17c.), a word in North Sea trade, from the Flem. version of the Gmc. source of Eng. cheap (q.v.).