Also 5 copys. [OE. cops, cosp = OS. cosp (in comb. litho-cospun dat. pl.).]
† 1. A shackle for any part of the body; a fetter (OE. fót-cops), manacle (hand-cops), or collar (sweor-cops), to secure a prisoner. Obs.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss., 765. In quo pedes vinctorum tenentur cosp [so Erf., Corpus].
c. 825. Vesp. Psalter cxlix. [cl]. 8. To ʓebindanne cyningas heara in fot-cospum.
c. 888. K. Ælfred, Boeth., xxxviii. 1. And siððan slean on þa raccentan and on cospas.
c. 1000. Suppl. Ælfric’s Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 182/20. Anguina cops.
a. 1100. Voc., in Wr.-W., 336/37. Compes uel cippus fotcops. Bogia iuc oððe swurcops. Manice hand-cops. Ibid. (a. 1200), 552/15. Fotcops, sweorcops, hondcops.
2. A hasp for fastening a door or gate.
The hasp is closed over a staple which is then padlocked.
14[?]. Medulla Gram. (Cant. MS.) (in Promp. Parv., s.v. Hespe), Pesellum, a lytel lok of tre, a haspe, a cospe, a sclott [cf. Promp. Parv. Hespe of a doore, pessulum].
1536. MS. Acc. St. John’s Hosp., Canterb. Payd for ij copseys for a gatte iijd. [Still used, and well known to country ironmongers in the south of England.]
† b. (See quot.) Obs.
1497. Churchw. Acc. Yatton (Somerset Record Soc.), 121. Payd to Antony for dressyng of the yron and a copys that beryth the lyȝht … iiijd.
3. A U-shaped iron, which, by means of a pin passing through the ends, can be fixed on the end of a pole or beam so as to provide an attachment for tackle, etc.; a CLEVIS. Applied to various similar contrivances for analogous purposes: see the quots.
1797. Trans. Soc. Encouragem. Arts, XV. 233. The copse, by which the cattle draw.
1863. Barnes, Dorset Gloss., Cops, a connecting crook of a harrow. Ibid., s.v. Wey, The wey is fastened at its middle to the plough or harrow by a cops (an iron bow with a free joint).
1888. Elworthy, W. Somerset Wd.-bk., Copse, in harness or plough-tackle, a U-shaped iron, having a pin through its ends, by which the foot-chain of a sull is attached to the bodkin; = Clevis. In breeching harness a copse on either side connects the breech-strap with the short breeching-chains…. The bow of a watch is called a copse.
4. A piece of wood (or iron) fixed on an oar, having a hole in it to turn on a thole-pin. Such oars are called on the south coast of England copse-oars.
1891. Correspt. at Weymouth. Where copse oars are used a single thole-pin is required.
¶ See also COSP.
