A sudden jolt, shock, or blow; an abrupt impact or collision (archaic or dialectal).
Possibly from French à coup (at a stroke, suddenly). An obsolete or specialized term for sudden impact, related to coup or coupe.
This word is related to 'coup' (as in a sudden overthrow) and carries that same sense of abruptness—'coup de grâce' literally means 'stroke of grace,' showing how the French word has meant 'sudden strike' for centuries.
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