The top layer of a brick wall, especially one that slopes in order to throw off water.
"The coping on the chimney was replaced with slate tiles to better shed rainwater."
In plain English: Coping is your personal way of handling stress and dealing with difficult situations.
"She spent years finding effective coping mechanisms for her grief after losing her husband."
Usage: Use this term specifically when referring to the sloped stone or tile cap placed on top of a chimney breast to shed rainwater away from the masonry. Do not use it for general emotional resilience or other unrelated meanings where "coping" functions as a verb.
present participle of cope
"After years of losing his job and battling illness, he found strength in coping with each new challenge day by day."
In plain English: Coping means dealing with something difficult so you can handle it without falling apart.
"She is finding new ways to cope with her busy schedule at work and home."
The word coping comes from the verb cope, which originally meant to dress in or cover with a liturgical robe called a cope. Over time, this meaning of covering shifted to describe the stone cap that covers the top of a wall.