Past tense of 'cot,' meaning to pass by or overtake, or in some dialects, to go to sleep in a cot.
From Old English cot, originally meaning a cottage or shelter, then applied as a verb. The meaning shifted to describe brief rest or the act of moving past something quickly.
This is a rare word that shows how Old English verbs from nouns (like 'cot' meaning shelter) created action words—you could 'cot' past someone just like you could 'cottage' away from danger!
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