Coptic

American  

[kop-tik] / ˈkɒp tɪk /

noun

1. an Afroasiatic language of Egypt descended from ancient Egyptian, largely extinct as a spoken language since the 16th century but surviving as the liturgical language of the Coptic Church.

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adjective

1. of or relating to Coptic or the Copts.

Coptic British  

/ ˈkɒptɪk /

noun

1. an Afro-Asiatic language, written in the Greek alphabet but descended from ancient Egyptian. It was extinct as a spoken language by about 1600 _ad but survives in the Coptic Church

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adjective

1. of or relating to this language

2. of or relating to the Copts

Etymology

Origin of Coptic

First recorded in 1670–80; Copt + -ic

Example Sentences

In the next gallery, a 15th-century Quran was displayed alongside a North African Torah and Coptic Christian Bible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Labib had to host a church service as Father of St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Bellflower, so after driving the boys to their morning matches, he planned for Sabet’s family to drive them home.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025

Mr. Henein’s father, who is a Coptic Christian from Egypt, anointed them with holy oil.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024

In August 2022, a fire at a packed Coptic Orthodox church during morning services in Cairo killed 41 worshippers in what was one of Egypt’s deadliest fires in recent years.

From Washington Times • Oct. 2, 2023

Toward the end of the afternoon, they came upon a Coptic monastery.

From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho