A person (typically male, in older usage) who is skilled at coping or managing; an archaic term for someone dealing with challenges.
From 'coper' (one who copes) + 'man,' following the historical pattern of adding '-man' to denote occupation or characteristic. An archaic or rare term.
The '-man' suffix shows gender bias in older English—trades and skills were assumed male, so words like 'copesman' reveal how language encoded assumptions about who had the ability to 'cope' or 'manage' in historical society.
Compounds with 'man' default to male reference even for mixed or female practitioners. Centuries of occupational language defaulted masculine generics, erasing women's participation in skilled trades.
Use 'coper' or role-specific terms to avoid gendered occupational language.
["coper","copesperson"]
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.