What is a coup d'état?

A coup d'état (plural coups ). noun \ˌkü dā-ˈtä, ˈkü dā-ˌ, -də-\. : a sudden attempt by a small group of people such as the armed forces, whether military or paramilitary, or an opposing faction of the government take legally over usually through violence seizure of power. [].

Entomology- 1640-1650, French, literally: “stroke of state” [][][], “blow of state” [] or “blow against the state” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat.