Etymologically
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coupon

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkuːˌpɑn/, /ˈkjuːˌpɑn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French coupon (“piece cut off”),[2][3][4][5] from couper (“to cut”), from coup (“a blow”) (see coup),[2][3] which goes back through Late Latin colpus to Latin colaphus (“a blow with the fist”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A certificate of interest due on a bond, cut off and presented for payment: 1822 in Barnhart, the OED, Etymonline and Merriam-Webster.[2][7][3][8]

Semantic evolution

The sense of a ticket giving the holder certain rights, as to a journey or a discount, was introduced by the travel agent Thomas Cook in 1864.[2][3] A coupon in an advertisement, entitling the holder to a discount or gift, is from 1906,[3][7] an entry form for the football pools from 1909,[7] and a ration coupon from 1918.[7] In the same year a coupon was a party leader's endorsement of a parliamentary candidate.[7] Coupon-clipper, an American term for a person living on investment income, is from 1860.[7]

Timeline

  • 1822 – a bond coupon.[2][7]
  • 1864 – a travel coupon (Thomas Cook).[2]
  • 1906 – an advertising coupon.[3][7]
  • 1918 – a ration coupon.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A voucher or detachable part of an advertisement entitling the holder to a discount or gift.
  2. A form to be filled in and sent off, as an order or entry form.
  3. (finance) A certificate attached to a bond that is detached to claim interest; the rate of interest paid.
  4. One of a set of tickets for rationed goods.

Word family

  • couponless
  • couponer
  • couponing
  • coupon bond
  • zero coupon

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster