Word of the Day Archive
Wednesday April 11, 2007
putsch \PUCH ('u' as in 'push')\ , noun:
(Sometimes capitalized) A secretly planned and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government.
Hitler operated from Munich where he enjoyed a fair degree of support, and it was here that his Putsch took place in an effort to seize power in Bavaria.
-- Alan Jefferson, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
President Bush, underwriter of the island's nascent democracy, swiftly announced that the coup would not stand, then just as quickly receded into embarrassed silence when informed by his staff that his own crew in Port-au-Prince not only had foreknowledge of the putsch but had allowed it to advance without a word.
-- Bob Shacochis, The Immaculate Invasion
Putsch comes from German, from Middle High German, literally, "thrust."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for putsch
