HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

cope¹

(kōp)

intr.v. coped, cop·ing, copes

1. To contend or strive, especially on even terms or with success: coping with child-rearing and a full-time job.

2. To contend with difficulties and act to overcome them: "Facing unprecedented problems, the Federal Reserve of the early 1930s couldn't cope" (Robert J. Samuelson).

[Middle English copen, coupen, to strike, from Old French couper, from Vulgar Latin *colpāre, from Late Latin colpus, blow; see COUP.]

coper n.

cope²

(kōp)

1. A long ecclesiastical vestment worn over an alb or surplice.

2. A covering resembling a cloak or mantle.

3. A coping.

tr.v. coped, cop·ing, copes

1. To cover or dress in a cope.

2. To provide with coping: cope a wall.

[Middle English cope, from Old English -cāp, from Medieval Latin cāpa, cloak, from Late Latin cappa.]

(click for a larger image)

cope2

mid-19th-century English cope designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852)

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products