Definition: Coup d'état
From New World Encyclopedia
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French coup d’État, literally "stroke (or blow) of state."
Noun
coup d'état (plural coups d'état or coup d'états)
- (politics, government) The sudden overthrow of a government, differing from a revolution by being carried out by a small group of people who replace only the leading figures.
Related terms
- coup
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
