coping

Meanings

1. The top layer of a brick wall, especially one that slopes in order to throw off water.
2. The process of managing taxing circumstances, expending effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, and seeking to master, minimize, reduce or tolerate stress or conflict.
3. The process of clipping the beak or talons of a bird.

1. present participle and gerund of cope

Etymology

From cope + -ing. The sense referring to a brick wall is cope (sense 2), used in the sense "dress in a cope," "to cover."