"native Monophysite Christian of Egypt," 1610s, from Modern Latin Coptus, from Arabic quft, which is of uncertain origin, probably from Coptic gyptios, from Greek Agyptios "Egyptian." Arabic has no -p- and often substitutes -f- or -b- for it. The majority of the Egyptian churches separated from the Orthodox Church after the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.). As an adjective, 1630s. Related: Coptic (1670s as an adjective; 1711 as the name of the language of the Copts).