Adjacent Words

Couch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COUCH, v.i.
1. To lie down, as on a bed or place of repose.
2. To lie down on the knees; to stop and recline on the knees, as a beast.
Fierce tigers couched around.
3. To lie down in secret or in ambush; to lie close and concealed.
The earl of Angus couched in a furrow.
Judah couched as a lion. Genesis 44.
4. To lie; to lie in a bed or stratum.
Blessed of the Lord be his land-for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath. Deutoronomy 33.
5. To stoop; to bend the body or back; to lower in reverence, or to bend under labor, pain, or a burden.
Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens. Genesis 44.
These couchings, and these lowly courtesies.
COUCH, v.t.
1. To lay down; to repose on a bed or place of rest.
Where unbruised youth, with unstuffed brain, doth couch his limbs.
2. To lay down; to spread on a bed or floor; as, to couch malt.
3. To lay close, or in a stratum.
The waters couch themselves, as close as may be, to the center of the globe.
4. To hide; to lay close, or in another body.
It is in use at this day, to couch vessels in walls, to gather the wind from the top, and pass it down in spouts into rooms.
5. To include secretly; to hide; or to express in obscure terms, that imply what is to be understood; with under.
All this, and more, lies couched under this allegory.
Hence,
6. To involve; to include; to comprise; to comprehend or express.
This great argument for a future state, which St. Paul hath couched int he words read.
7. To lie close.
8. To fix a spear in the rest, in the posture of attack.
They couched their spears.
9. To depress the condensed crystaline humor or film that overspreads the pupil of the eye. To remove a catarct, by entering a needle through the coats of the eye, and pushing the lens to the bottom of the vitreous humor, and then downwards and outwards, so as to leave it in the under and outside of the eye. The true phrase is, to couch a cataract; but we say, to couch they eye, or the patient.
COUCH, n.
1. A bed; a place for rest or sleep.
2. A seat of repose; a place for rest and ease, on which it is common to lie down undressed.
3. A layer of stratum; as a couch of malt.
4. In painting, a lay or impression of color, in oil or water, covering the canvas, wall, or other matter to be painted.
5. Any lay, or impression, used to make a thing firm or consistent, or to screen it from the weather.
6. A covering of gold or silver leaf, laid on any substance to be gilded or silvered.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an upholstered seat for more than one person [syn: sofa, couch, lounge]
2: a flat coat of paint or varnish used by artists as a primer
3: a narrow bed on which a patient lies during psychiatric or psychoanalytic treatment v
1: formulate in a particular style or language; "I wouldn't put it that way"; "She cast her request in very polite language" [syn: frame, redact, cast, put, couch]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French cucher, from Latin collocare to set in place — more at collocate Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to lay (oneself) down for rest or sleep 2. to embroider (a design) by laying down a thread and fastening it with small stitches at regular intervals 3. to place or hold level and pointed forward ready for use 4. to phrase or express in a specified manner <the comments were couched in strong terms> intransitive verb 1. to lie down or recline for sleep or rest 2. to lie in ambush II. noun Etymology: Middle English couche bed, from Anglo-French kuche, from cucher Date: 14th century 1. a. an article of furniture for sitting or reclining b. a couch on which a patient reclines when undergoing psychoanalysis 2. the den of an animal (as an otter)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 an upholstered piece of furniture for several people; a sofa. 2 a long padded seat with a headrest at one end, esp. one on which a psychiatrist's or doctor's patient reclines during examination. --v. 1 tr. (foll. by in) express in words of a specified kind (couched in simple language). 2 tr. lay on or as on a couch. 3 intr. a (of an animal) lie, esp. in its lair. b lie in ambush. 4 tr. lower (a spear etc.) to the position for attack. 5 tr. Med. treat (a cataract) by displacing the lens of the eye. Phrases and idioms: couch potato US sl. a young person who likes lazing at home. Etymology: ME f. OF couche, coucher f. L collocare (as COM-, locare place) 2. n. (in full couch grass) any of several grasses of the genus Agropyron, esp. A. repens, having long creeping roots. Etymology: var. of QUITCH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coach Coach (?; 224), n. [F. coche, fr. It. cocchio, dim. of cocca little boat, fr. L. concha mussel, mussel shell, Gr. ?, akin to Skr. [,c]ankha. Cf. Conch, Cockboat, Cockle.] 1. A large, closed, four-wheeled carriage, having doors in the sides, and generally a front and back seat inside, each for two persons, and an elevated outside seat in front for the driver. Note: Coaches have a variety of forms, and differ in respect to the number of persons they can carry. Mail coaches and tallyho coaches often have three or more seats inside, each for two or three persons, and seats outside, sometimes for twelve or more. 2. A special tutor who assists in preparing a student for examination; a trainer; esp. one who trains a boat's crew for a race. [Colloq.] Wareham was studying for India with a Wancester coach. --G. Eliot. 3. (Naut.) A cabin on the after part of the quarter-deck, usually occupied by the captain. [Written also couch.] [Obs.] The commanders came on board and the council sat in the coach. --Pepys. 4. (Railroad) A first-class passenger car, as distinguished from a drawing-room car, sleeping car, etc. It is sometimes loosely applied to any passenger car.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Couch Couch (kouch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Couched (koucht); p. pr. & vb. n. Couching.] [F. coucher to lay down, lie down, OF. colchier, fr. L. collocare to lay, put, place; col- + locare to place, fr. locus place. See Locus.] 1. To lay upon a bed or other resting place. Where unbruised youth, with unstuffed brain, Does couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign. --Shak. 2. To arrange or dispose as in a bed; -- sometimes followed by the reflexive pronoun. The waters couch themselves as may be to the center of this globe, in a spherical convexity. --T. Burnet. 3. To lay or deposit in a bed or layer; to bed. It is at this day in use at Gaza, to couch potsherds, or vessels of earth, in their walls. --Bacon. 4. (Paper Making) To transfer (as sheets of partly dried pulp) from the wire cloth mold to a felt blanket, for further drying. 5. To conceal; to include or involve darkly. There is all this, and more, that lies naturally couched under this allegory. --L'Estrange. 6. To arrange; to place; to inlay. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 7. To put into some form of language; to express; to phrase; -- used with in and under. A well-couched invective. --Milton. I had received a letter from Flora couched in rather cool terms. --Blackw. Mag. 8. (Med.) To treat by pushing down or displacing the opaque lens with a needle; as, to couch a cataract. To couch a spear or lance, to lower to the position of attack; to place in rest. He stooped his head, and couched his spear, And spurred his steed to full career. --Sir W. Scott. To couch malt, to spread malt on a floor. --Mortimer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Couch Couch, v. i. 1. To lie down or recline, as on a bed or other place of rest; to repose; to lie. Where souls do couch on flowers, we 'll hand in hand. --Shak. If I court moe women, you 'll couch with moe men. --Shak. 2. To lie down for concealment; to hide; to be concealed; to be included or involved darkly. We 'll couch in the castle ditch, till we see the light of our fairies. --Shak. The half-hidden, hallf-revealed wonders, that yet couch beneath the words of the Scripture. --I. Taylor. 3. To bend the body, as in reverence, pain, labor, etc.; to stoop; to crouch. [Obs.] An aged squire That seemed to couch under his shield three-square. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Couch Couch, n. [F. couche, OF. colche, culche, fr. colchier. See Couch, v. t. ] 1. A bed or place for repose or sleep; particularly, in the United States, a lounge. Gentle sleep . . . why liest thou with the vile In loathsome beds, and leavest the kingly couch? --Shak. Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. --Bryant. 2. Any place for repose, as the lair of a beast, etc. 3. A mass of steeped barley spread upon a floor to germinate, in malting; or the floor occupied by the barley; as, couch of malt. 4. (Painting & Gilding) A preliminary layer, as of color, size, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(couches, couching, couched) 1. A couch is a long, comfortable seat for two or three people. = sofa, settee N-COUNT 2. A couch is a narrow bed which patients lie on while they are being examined or treated by a doctor. N-COUNT 3. If a statement is couched in a particular style of language, it is expressed in that style of language. (WRITTEN) The new centre-right government's radical objectives are often couched in moderate terms... = phrase VERB: usu passive, be V-ed in/as n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

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

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kouch (substantive.).

See BED.

Couch (verb): rabhats, "to crouch," "lurk," as a beast in readiness to spring on its prey. "If thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door" (Ge 4:7, the King James Version "lieth"), waiting for it to open. Cain is warned to beware of the first temptations to evil, in his case especially a sullen and jealous disposition (compare Dante, Inferno, I, 30). See ABEL; CAIN. The tribe of Judah is compared for its bravery to a recumbent lion or lioness (Ge 49:9; compare Nu 24:9 f); and Issachar to "a strong ass, couching down between the sheepfolds" (Ge 49:14, the King James Version "between two burdens"; compare Jud 5:16). "The deep that coucheth beneath" (De 33:13), probably the springs of water, or possibly, as Driver suggests, "the subterranean deep, pictured as a gigantic monster."

See ABYSS.

M. O. Evans

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Lie, recline, lie down. 2. Crouch, squat, lie flat. 3. Stoop, bend down. II. v. a. 1. Express, utter, set forth, clothe in words. 2. Conceal, hide, cover up. 3. Lay (a spear) in rest, put in posture of attack. 4. Depress or remove (a cataract). III. n. 1. Bed, place for rest. 2. Sofa, lounge, seat to recline on.

Moby Thesaurus

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