Coup

Coup is a French word signifying 'a stroke,' used in certain phrases that have become current in Europe. A coup d'état ('stroke of state') means an arbitrary encroachment suddenly effected by the governing authorities upon the constitution of the state, altering or setting aside the prerogatives of other parts of the body politic. The term is applied particularly to the treacherous but successful attack upon the liberties of his fellow-countrymen by Louis Napoleon, 2d December 1851. Coup de main ('a stroke of the hand') is a sudden and successful attack; coup d'œil ('a stroke of the eye') is a summary view of a complicated matter; coup de théâtre is a trick of the stage; and coup de grâce is the merciful blow that puts a victim out of pain.