a. A sofa.
b. A sofa on which a patient lies while undergoing psychoanalysis or psychiatric treatment.
a. The frame or floor on which grain, usually barley, is spread in malting.
b. A layer of grain, usually barley, spread to germinate.
3. A priming coat of paint or varnish used in artistic painting.
v. couched, couch·ing, couch·es
1. To word in a certain manner; phrase: couched their protests in diplomatic language.
2. To cause (oneself) to lie down, as for rest.
3. To embroider by laying thread flat on a surface and fastening it by stitches at regular intervals.
4. To spread (grain) on a couch to germinate, as in malting.
5. To lower (a spear, for example) to horizontal position, as for an attack.
1. To lie down; recline, as for rest.
2. To lie in ambush or concealment; lurk.
3. To be in a heap or pile, as leaves for decomposition or fermentation.
[Middle English couche, from Old French culche, couche, from couchier, to lay down, lie down, from Latin collocāre; see COLLOCATE.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.