couch

[kouch or for 6, 14, kooch]
noun
1.
a piece of furniture for seating from two to four people, typically in the form of a bench with a back, sometimes having an armrest at one or each end, and partly or wholly upholstered and often fitted with springs, tailored cushions, skirts, etc.; sofa.
2.
a similar article of furniture, with a headrest at one end, on which some patients of psychiatrists or psychoanalysts lie while undergoing treatment.
3.
a bed or other place of rest; a lounge; any place used for repose.
4.
the lair of a wild beast.
5.
Brewing. the frame on which barley is spread to be malted.
6.
Papermaking. the board or felt blanket on which wet pulp is laid for drying into paper sheets.
7.
Fine Arts. a primer coat or layer, as of paint.
verb (used with object)
8.
to arrange or frame (words, a sentence, etc.); put into words; express: a simple request couched in respectful language.
9.
to express indirectly or obscurely: the threat couched under his polite speech.
10.
to lower or bend down, as the head.
11.
to lower (a spear, lance, etc.) to a horizontal position, as for attack.
12.
to put or lay down, as for rest or sleep; cause to lie down.
13.
to lay or spread flat.
14.
Papermaking. to transfer (a sheet of pulp) from the wire to the couch.
15.
to embroider by couching.
16.
Archaic. to hide; conceal.
00:10
Couch is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
to flee; abscond:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
17.
to lie at rest or asleep; repose; recline.
18.
to crouch; bend; stoop.
19.
to lie in ambush or in hiding; lurk.
20.
to lie in a heap for decomposition or fermentation, as leaves.
Idioms
21.
on the couch, Informal. undergoing psychiatric or psychoanalytic treatment.
Origin:
1300–50; (noun) Middle English couche < Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of coucher; (v.) Middle English couchen < Anglo-French, Old French coucher, Old French colcher < Latin collocāre to put into place, equivalent to col- col- + locāre to put, place; see locate

Related forms
well-couched, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To couch
Collins
World English Dictionary
couch (kaʊtʃ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a piece of upholstered furniture, usually having a back and armrests, for seating more than one person
2.  a bed, esp one used in the daytime by the patients of a doctor or a psychoanalyst
3.  a frame upon which barley is malted
4.  a priming layer of paint or varnish, esp in a painting
5.  papermaking
 a.  a board on which sheets of handmade paper are dried by pressing
 b.  a felt blanket onto which sheets of partly dried paper are transferred for further drying
 c.  a roll on a papermaking machine from which the wet web of paper on the wire is transferred to the next section
6.  archaic the lair of a wild animal
 
—vb
7.  (tr) to express in a particular style of language: couched in an archaic style
8.  (when tr, usually reflexive or passive) to lie down or cause to lie down for or as for sleep
9.  archaic (intr) to lie in ambush; lurk
10.  (tr) to spread (barley) on a frame for malting
11.  (intr) (of decomposing leaves) to lie in a heap or bed
12.  (tr) to embroider or depict by couching
13.  (tr) to lift (sheets of handmade paper) onto the board on which they will be dried
14.  (tr) surgery to remove (a cataract) by downward displacement of the lens of the eye
15.  archaic (tr) to lower (a lance) into a horizontal position
 
[C14: from Old French couche a bed, lair, from coucher to lay down, from Latin collocāre to arrange, from locāre to place; see locate]
 
'coucher
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

couch
early 14c., from O.Fr. colchier, from L. collocare "to lay," from com- "together" + locare "to place" (see locate). Meaning "to put into words" is from 1529. Heraldic couchant is late 15c., from Fr. prp.

couch
mid-14c., from O.Fr. couche "a bed, lair," from coucher "to lie down," from L. collocare (see couch (v.)). Traditionally, a couch has the head end only raised, and only half a back; a sofa has both ends raised and a full back; a settee is like a sofa but may be without arms;
an ottoman has neither back nor arms, nor has a divan, the distinctive feature of which is that it goes against a wall. Couch potato first recorded 1979. The first element in Couch-grass (1570s) is a corruption of O.E. cwice (see quick).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary

Couch definition


(Gen. 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1; Job 7:13; Ps. 6:6, etc.), a seat for repose or rest. (See BED.)

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

couch

in modern usage a sofa or settee, but in the 17th and 18th centuries a long, upholstered seat for reclining, one end sloping and high enough to provide a back rest and headrest.

Learn more about couch with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Some new games on the market aim to get kids off the couch.
She constantly attacks my wifes shoes, and nips at her when she is resting on
  the couch.
It grunts, it drools, and it's about as sluggish as a couch potato.
Some headphones are built for kicking back on the couch and melting into the
  music.
Image for couch
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriHome Advisor
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT