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Origin and history of Copt

Copt(n.)

"native Monophysite Christian of Egypt," 1610s, from Modern Latin Coptus, from Arabic quft, which is of uncertain origin, probably from Coptic gyptios, from Greek Agyptios "Egyptian." Arabic has no -p- and often substitutes -f- or -b- for it. The majority of the Egyptian churches separated from the Orthodox Church after the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.). As an adjective, 1630s. Related: Coptic (1670s as an adjective; 1711 as the name of the language of the Copts).

also from 1610s

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