Coptic

1 of 2

noun

Cop·​tic ˈkäp-tik How to pronounce Coptic (audio)
: an Afro-Asiatic language descended from ancient Egyptian and used as the liturgical language of the Coptic church

Coptic

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to the Copts, their liturgical language, or their church

Examples of Coptic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Anyone seeking evidence of creeping Islamist radicalization in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s repressive regime need look no further than the bombing of the Coptic Orthodox church in Cairo on December 10. Khalil Al-Anani, Foreign Affairs, 8 Jan. 2017 The few remaining Ethiopian monks took shelter on the property of the Egyptian Coptic Church. Hiba Yazbek, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2023 Melbourne officers arrived to the Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church around 7:45 a.m. in response to an incident involving church officials and a man later identified as Mark Patrick Soliman, the agency said in a statement. Lisa Maria Garza, orlandosentinel.com, 21 Feb. 2021
Adjective
An example last year involved Coptic schoolchildren who taped a 30-second cell phone video of themselves mocking ISIS. Nina Shea, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2017 The group has as many as 3,000 active members, and its fighters have beheaded Ethiopian Coptic workers and attacked the Moroccan and South Korean embassies. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2016 Approximately three-quarters of Christians in the region are Arab and tend to belong to ancient, apostolic denominations such as the Greek Orthodox, Coptic and Catholic churches. Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 27 June 2024 Some of the world’s most repressed religious minorities include Egypt’s Christian Coptic minority; the Baha’i in Iran; the Ahmadis in Pakistan; and Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Shiite Muslims in Saudi Arabia. Jonathan Fox, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2015 Yet, in this small area, people of different faiths–Muslims, Druze, Christians of Catholic, Orthodox Greek, Syrian, and Coptic denominations–have coexisted for centuries. Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 May 2024 The codex features Coptic script, an Egyptian language written in the Greek alphabet primarily used by Christians. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024 Along with the Bible, some books (usually translated from Greek, Coptic, and Arabic) were thought to keep Ethiopia in touch with the lifeline of Christian truth. Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020 The 18 kings and four queens are now on display on the lower level of this impeccable museum, which showcases snippets of Egypt’s history spanning the Pharaonic up to the Coptic and Islamic eras. Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1668, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1677, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Coptic was in 1668

Dictionary Entries Near Coptic

Cite this Entry

“Coptic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Coptic. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

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