The Spanish word 'autogolpe' is a compound word formed from two elements: 'auto-' and 'golpe'. The prefix 'auto-' comes from the Ancient Greek word 'αὐτός' (autos) meaning 'self'. The second element 'golpe' has a fascinating journey from Ancient Greek through Latin. It originated from the Greek 'κόλαφος' (kolaphos) meaning 'blow' or 'slap', which entered Latin as 'colaphus' meaning 'blow' or 'punch'. This evolved in Vulgar Latin to 'colpus', and finally became 'golpe' in Spanish, meaning 'blow' or 'strike'.

When combined, 'autogolpe' literally means 'self-blow' or 'self-strike', but it has taken on the specific political meaning of a 'self-coup' - when a leader overthrows their own government to seize greater power.

The simpler and more common Spanish word 'golpe' is directly related to 'autogolpe', as it forms the second part of the compound word. 'Golpe' is used much more frequently in everyday Spanish to mean 'blow', 'hit', or 'strike'. You might hear it in common phrases like 'golpe de estado' (coup d'état) or 'dar un golpe' (to strike a blow).

While English doesn't have direct cognates of 'golpe', it does share the 'auto-' prefix, which appears in many English words like 'automobile', 'automatic', and 'autobiography'. This prefix maintains the same meaning of 'self' in both languages, making it easier for English speakers to understand part of the word's meaning.