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Coup d'etat

2 stages from French to English.

Today it means a sudden, often violent, illegal seizure of a government's power
1
Stage 1 of 2
coup
French · medieval
"a blow of state"
a blow, a strike, combined with d'etat (of the state)
2
Stage 2 of 2
coup d'etat
English · 1640s
"the sudden, illegal seizure of government power"
adopted directly for the sudden, illegal seizure of government power
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