What is the meaning and derivation of 'cowp'?

Question

I just received an email from Scotland with the word 'cowp' in it. I had a vague recollection from my own Scottish background of such a word but could not remember what it meant.
The OED has only this :

Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymon: Norse kaup-a.
Etymology: < Old Norse kaup-a to buy, bargain, barter, exchange, = Gothic kaupôn ... (Show More)
Scottish and northern dialect.
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†1. transitive. To buy; figurative to abye, pay for, suffer for. Obsolete.

to exchange, barter

Wiktionary has this :

cowp (plural cowps)

(Scotland, Ireland, slang) A filthy and disgusting place.
(dialect) A reversal of fortune; An unexpected misfortune.

Verb : cowp (third-person singular simple present cowps, present participle cowping, simple past and past participle cowped) To fall or tip over.

As used in the email, the writer is referring to the Council Refuse Dump (they 'went to the cowp' and they clearly had something to dispose of) so it seems to me that 'cowp' as a verb means to tip something, either an accidental tip (Wiktionary-dialect) or a purposeful disposal into a cowp (the noun) being a place of refuse (Wiktionary - Scoland Ireland slang).
But none of this appears to agree with the OED.
Has anyone more background to this ?

Greybeard · Accepted Answer

The verb and noun in the meaning of "to tip / a tip" seems to have developed from the French coup/ couper = to/a blow, to/a hit, etc. in the metaphorical sense:
"John's death came as a blow." > John's death was a blow > John's death was a great upset.
From this, the meaning "upset" took a further figurative step - "turning something (the current circumstances) over in an unpleasant way." Hence, to/a tip.
References from A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Cowp, Coup, n.1 [e.m.E. coupe, ME. caupe a stroke, blow. Cf. Cowp v.1]
An upset, overturning. — Stewart 4135. Sum gat ane coup gart all hir tymmaris crak;
Lynd. Sat. 2430. I man rin fast, in cace I get ane coup [B. cowp];
*Cowp, Coup, v.1 Also: cowpe. [Cf. ME. cowpe (rare) to strike.]
1. tr. and intr. To turn up; to upset, overset, overturn. Knox II. 15.
Melvil Mem. 404. What soeuer he be that reposes upon his gud seruice,
is commonly cowped and wraked;
Adamson Muses Thr. 136. The whirling stream will make our boat to coup;

Which seems to have led to

2. To empty out by overturning.
1653 Sir J. Hope Journal 155. [I began] to inspect the earth about it & I thoght it lay all in little heapes as if it had been new coupped out of hurlebarrowes;

Anton · Answer

I believe it is related to German Kippe, a word that occurs in Müllkippe (some sort of rubbish dump) and Aschenkippe (an ash heap). As such, it is a filthy waste heap, pit or area.

What is the meaning and derivation of 'cowp'?

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