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couch

  (kouch) pronunciation
n.
    1. A sofa.
    2. A sofa on which a patient lies while undergoing psychoanalysis or psychiatric treatment.
    1. The frame or floor on which grain, usually barley, is spread in malting.
    2. 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.

v.tr.
  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.
v.intr.
  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.]

coucher couch'er n.
 
 
Thesaurus: couch

verb

    To convey in language or words of a particular form: express, formulate, phrase, put, word. See words.

 
Veterinary Dictionary: couching

Surgical displacement of the lens of the eye in cataract.

 
Word Tutor: couch
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A large piece of furniture that one can sit on. Also: to say in a guarded tone.

pronunciation Even though you are upset, you must couch your complaints with courtesy.

 
Wikipedia: couch
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Sofas come in a variety of colors, patterns, and materials (two-seater model)
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Sofas come in a variety of colors, patterns, and materials (two-seater model)
Ancient Greek couch with one elevated armrest
Enlarge
Ancient Greek couch with one elevated armrest

A couch, loveseat, sofa, settee, lounge, davenport or chesterfield are items of furniture for the comfortable seating of more than one person. Compare the joiner's settle, with its separate seat cushions.

Couches are usually to be found in the living room, den or the lounge. They come in a variety of textiles and in leather. A typical couch seats two to three people and has an armrest on either side. Many different types of couches exist; popular types include the divan. the chaise longue, the canapé or the ottoman. Also, to conserve space, some sofas double as beds (sofa-bed, daybed, or futon).

There are other types, including two-seater, three-seater, corner and chaise longue. A sectional sofa (often just referred to as a "sectional") is formed from multiple sections (typically 2 to 4) and usually includes at least two pieces that join at an angle of 90 degrees or slightly greater.

A three-piece suite is composed of three couch pieces (generally, a two- or three-seater and two armchairs).

History

Mme Récamier, by Jacques-Louis David, 1800: a Greek Revival couch with lyre arm design.
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Mme Récamier, by Jacques-Louis David, 1800: a Greek Revival couch with lyre arm design.


Until the 20th century a couch referred to a long upholstered seat with one end inclined, high enough to provide a back and head-rest. "Couch" which in the Late Middle Ages had signified bedding (from the French se coucher, or "to lie down") was interchangeable with "daybed" through the 17th century. (Gloag, "couch"). Well into the 19th century a couch was particularly a seat for a lady; a fainting couch (a modern term) has a back and a single scrolling upholstered end. A récamier was a late nineteenth-century trade term for a similar single-ended couch, such as the one made famous in David's portrait of Mme Récamier (illustration, right).


The sopha or sofa had a separate origin. "Sopha" made its entry in written English in 1717 (OED); divan preceded it (1702). Sofa was originally an Arabic word for the raised section of floor, furnished with rugs and cushions, set apart for a council (see Diwan) thus also for especially esteemed guests. Designs for "sophas" in Thomas Chippendale's Director (1754, 1762) all have solidly upholstered arms with padded elbow rests, cushioned seats and upholstered backs, but show their carved wood framing.

Further back in ancient Roman society, the couch was found in the dining room (known as the triclinium). Three couches would be arranged around a low table and the men would recline while eating (although the women sat in normal chairs).

Originally it was an elitist piece of furniture and it was not until industrialization that the upholstered couch became an indispensable item of furniture in middle and lower class households. Throughout its history it has often been an object of derision, considered a variety of things from decadent to conformist.

Since 19th Century the couch has become associated with Freudian psychoanalysis. Freud originally used the couch as a tool to aid his hypnosis of the patient. However when he moved on from hypnosis to stream-of-consciousness discourse as his dominant mode of analysis with the development of the interpretation of dreams, he still held on to the couch. He justified this with the need to limit the transference between psychoanalyst and analysand. Thus, the couch proved particularly useful because it limits the visibility of the analyst.

Today the couch is invariably linked to both domestic family life and television culture. It is often positioned in relation to the television set in a living room and for napping. It has spawned social phenomena such as the couch potato, a person who spends a lot of time watching the television. The couch has also become the central prop for many TV sitcoms and soap operas. This symbiosis, through which the couch has shifted from the private to the public sphere, has been satirically depicted in popular culture, in television series such as Married... with Children, The Simpsons, The Big Comfy Couch, Friends, and Beavis and Butt-head.

References

  • John Gloag, A Short Dictionary of Furniture rev. ed. 1962. (London: Allen & Unwin)

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Translations for: Couch

Dansk (Danish)
n. - divan, sofa, briks
v. tr. - udtrykke, lægge, fælde, behandle, operere
v. intr. - ligge i skjul, ligge i baghold

idioms:

  • couch doctor    psykiater
  • couch potato    [sl] sløv padde

Nederlands (Dutch)
bank, (op de loer) liggen, op bepaalde wijze inkleden, vellen, lichten (staar)

Français (French)
n. - canapé, lit (docteur), divan (psychanalyste), couche (littér), (Bot) chiendent
v. tr. - formuler, être couché
v. intr. - être couché (littér)

idioms:

  • couch doctor    psychologue
  • couch potato    pantouflard

Deutsch (German)
n. - Sofa, Couch
v. - formulieren, liegen

idioms:

  • couch doctor    (slang) Psychiater, Psychologe
  • couch potato    (slang) Faulenzer

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ανάκλιντρο, καναπές (με μπράτσα), ντιβάνι, πολυθρόνα ή ανάκλιντρο ψυχαναλυτή, (φυτολ.) αγρόπυρο (κν. άγλωσσο)
v. - συντάσσω, διατυπώνω φραστικά, ξαπλώνω, ενεδρεύω

idioms:

  • be couched    είμαι διατυπωμένος
  • couch doctor    ψυχαναλυτής
  • couch potato    (καθομ.) καναπεδάκιας, αρχιτεμπέλαρος

Italiano (Italian)
divano

idioms:

  • be couched    essere steso
  • couch doctor    psichiatra, psicologo
  • couch potato    fannullone

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sofá (m)
v. - deitar, expressar

idioms:

  • be couched    estar deitado
  • couch doctor    psiquiatra (m) (f)
  • couch potato    indivíduo (m) sedentário

Русский (Russian)
диван, кушетка, уложить, формулировать

idioms:

  • be couched    излагать
  • couch doctor    психоаналитик
  • couch potato    домосед

Español (Spanish)
n. - diván, sofá, lecho
v. tr. - acostar, tender
v. intr. - acostarse, tenderse

idioms:

  • couch doctor    psicoanalista
  • couch potato    teleadicto

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kvickrot (bot.), schäslong, massagebänk, bädd (litt.), understa lager av målarfärg mm
v. - uttrycka, dölja, fälla (lans till attack), operera bort (starr), ligga utsträckt, böja/huka sig ner, ligga på lur

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
长椅, 卧榻, 睡椅, 长沙发, 横躺, 暗示, 睡, 表达, 躺着, 埋伏, 蹲着

idioms:

  • couch doctor    心理分析医师, 精神病医师
  • couch potato    终日懒散的人, 老泡在电视机前的人

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 長椅, 臥榻, 睡椅, 長沙發
v. tr. - 橫躺, 暗示, 睡, 表達
v. intr. - 躺著, 埋伏, 蹲著

idioms:

  • couch doctor    心理分析醫師, 精神病醫師
  • couch potato    終日懶散的人, 老泡在電視機前的人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 긴 의자, 침대, 은신처
v. tr. - 누이다, 잠복하다, 말로 표현하다
v. intr. - 눕다, 웅크리다, 쌓이다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 寝いす, 診察用ベッド, ソファー, 寝台
v. - うずくまる, 表現する

idioms:

  • be couched    寝かせる
  • couch doctor    精神科医
  • couch potato    カウチポテト族

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أريكه, مضجع (فعل) عبر أو صاغ الكلام, نام على أريكه, ارتاح, جعله في وضع مستوي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ספה, מיטה, מין עשב‬
v. tr. - ‮הרכין, הביע, ניסח, טיפל בתבלול על עין, השכיב על ספה‬
v. intr. - ‮התכופף לקראת זינוק, שכב במארב‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Couch".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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