coppe

Meaning

Noun

• A spider.

Origin

• From Old English, primarily occurring in the northeast Midlands region of England. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz ("vault, round vessel, head"), from Proto-Indo-European *gū- ("to bend, curve").
• Compare Danish edderkop, Norwegian edderkopp, Low German kobbe.
• Originating from the Dutch invaders who populated this area, the same word coppe, pronounced 'kab', existed in Middle Dutch up until the 14th century . The word kobbe, meaning spider, still exists in West-Flemish, a Dutch dialect spoken in the West of Flanders.