▪ I. couch, n.1
(kaʊtʃ)
Forms: 4–6 couche, cowch(e, (5 kouche, cuche, 6 choche, cooch, 7 coutch), 7– couch.
[a. F. couche (13th c.), earlier OF. culche, f. coucher: see couch v.1]
1. a. A frame or structure, with what is spread over it (or simply a layer of some soft substance), on which to lie down for rest or sleep; a bed. Now, in literary use, a general or vague term, implying that on which one sleeps, whether in ordinary language a bed or not.
| 1340 Ayenb. 171 Ich..wille wesse eche niȝt mi bed and mine couche mid mine teares. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 99 (MS. Gg.), I bad men schulde me myn couche make. 1493 Petronilla 101 Brought to hir couch and lyenge there bedrede. 1535 Coverdale 2 Sam. xi. 9 At euen he wente to lye him downe for to slepe vpon his couche. 1623 Cockeram, Couch, a little bed. 1757 Gray Bard ii. i, Low on his funeral couch he lies! 1804 J. Grahame Sabbath 81 Wafting glad tidings to the sick man's couch. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 664 Hospitality could offer little more than a couch of straw. 1859 Tennyson Geraint & Enid 737 The maiden rose And left her maiden couch, and robed herself. |
b. transf. and fig.
| 1382 Wyclif Isa. lxv. 10 And the valei of Achor in to the couche [1388 restyng place] of droues. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2706 Sir Ywayn puld gres in the felde, And made a kouche opon his shelde. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 284 Nature hath not given unto men their..being, to..snore in the couche of carelessenesse. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. i. v. §11 As if there were sought in knowledge a couch whereupon to rest a searching and restless spirit. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 377 Rous'd from the slumber, on that fiery Couch. 1839 E. D. Clarke Trav. 41/1 If he can endure..severe frost, with a couch of snow beneath the canopy of heaven. |
† c. ? An allowance for the night. Obs. [The original F. has couche.]
| 1601 F. Tate Househ. Ord. Edw. II, §18. 15 Amongst them al thei shal take for their coch two pichers of wine, ij galons of beere, vj candels, a tortis, etc. |
¶ Erroneous rendering of L. cubiculum bed-room.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Kings xx. 30 Benadab fleynge wente..into the cowch that was beside the bed place. ― Matt. vi. 6 Entre in to thi couche, and the dore schet, preye thi fadir in hidlis. |
2. The lair or den of a wild beast (obs.); now spec. the burrow of an otter.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. xxvi. (1495) 785 Yf the whelpes gooth out of the cowche the bytche fetchyth them ayen. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xii, Men myȝte noȝte his cowche kenne For howundes and for slayn men, That he hade draun to his denne. 1535 Coverdale Job xxxviii. 39 His whelpes..lurkinge in their couches. 1674 N. Cox Gentl. Recreat. 38 If a Boar intends to abide in his Den, Couch, or Fort. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales II. 159 A dog-otter..rushed from his couch among the roots. |
3. a. An article of furniture for reclining or sitting on; a lounge: now commonly distinguished from a sofa by having a half-back and head-end only.
| c 1450 Merlin xxix. 580 Thei..satte doun on a Cowche that was covered with a cloth of silke. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lvii. 194 He..sat downe..on a couche. 1663 J. Done Hist. Septuagint 179 Ten Table-beds or Couches of ease which had the feete of Silver. 1701 Rowe Amb. Step-Moth. ii. i, They who loll'd at home on lazy Couches. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxi. 173 See one seated..'Tis thy lord on a Tyrian Couch. 1885 Upholsterer's Catal. Walnut Drawing Room Suite, consisting of Couch, two Easy Chairs, and six Chairs. |
b. spec. A couch upon which a patient reclines when undergoing psychoanalysis or psychiatric treatment.
| 1952 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 163 It takes more than a couch to solve the problems of..narcotics, juvenile delinquency, psychosis. 1961 Amer. Speech XXXVI. 147 On the couch, undergoing psychiatric treatment. From the traditional leather couch of the psychoanalyst. 1963 A. Heron et al. Towards Quaker View of Sex 62 It seems reasonable to accept in general the psychoanalytic approach..but to predict that its most useful application may well prove to be preventive rather than therapeutic; in the home and school rather than on the couch. 1967 Listener 23 Feb. 268/2 He admirably resists the temptation to put Hawthorne on the analyst's couch. |
† 4. A cloth spread upon a table for a meal. Obs.
| c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 187 Lay a clothe on þe table, a cowche it is called & said. 1513 Bk. Keruynge in Babees Bk. 268 Laye a cloth, a couche, it is called, take your felawe that one ende, & holde you that other ende. |
5. A layer, stratum, bed; esp. a layer or coat of paint, varnish, etc.
| 1661 in T. Birch Hist. R. Soc. I. 52 Lay on four or five couches more..When the last couch is well dried, rub it smooth. 1698 M. Lister Journ. Paris (1699) 3 Digging in the Royal Physick Garden, and sowing his Couches. Ibid. 55 The first 2 or 3 couches or lays above the Foundation. 1735 Dict. Polygraph. s.v. Couch, The gold wire-drawers also use the word Couch, for the gold or silver leaf where⁓with they cover the mass to be gilded or silvered. 1756 Dict. Arts & Sc. s.v. Porcelain, On this powder they lay a couch of dry fern, and on the fern another of the slaked lime. 1859 Gullick & Timbs Paint. 201 The artist.. spreads a thin couch of oil or varnish over the colours. |
6. a. Malting. The bed or layer in which the grain is laid to germinate after steeping; also the floor or frame upon which it is laid.
| 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. (1649) 234 When..for want of looking to the Couch, and not opening of it..it come or sprout at both ends. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Countrie Farme 556 A great big coutch or heape a yard thicke or better. 1743 Lond. & Country Brew. ii. (ed. 2) 95 Malt..to have its due Time in the Cistern, Couch, and Kiln. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Chick, to begin to germinate, a..barley on the couch in the malthouse. 1875 Ure Dict. Arts III. 187 s.v. Malting, After remaining in the couch twenty-four hours..the couch is broken, that is, the planks composing the front of it are removed. |
b. Also in analogous uses, e.g. of hemp.
| 1849 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. X. i. 178 The gleans [of hemp] are lifted on to the ground, and form a couch..If suffered to remain longer in the couch it heats and rots. |
† 7. Applied by Grew to the simple folding of petals in æstivation. Obs.
| 1671 Grew Anat. Plants i. v. §6 The Foulds of the Flower or Foliation are various..The Close-Couch as in Roses, and many other double Flowers. Then the Concave-Couch, as in Blattaria flore albo..Daisies, and all others of an agreeing form: where the first apparent Fould or Composture of the Leaves is in Couch. |
8. Naut. = coach n. 2.
| 1769–1850 [see coach n. 2]. |
9. Paper-making. A board covered with felt or flannel on which the sheets of pulp are placed to be pressed. (Cf. couch v.1 6, coucher3.)
| 1886 W. A. Harris Techn. Dict. Fire Insur. s.v. Couching, Transferring the sheets of pulp from the moulds to boards covered with felt or flannel, called ‘couches’. |
10. attrib. and Comb., as couch-foot; (in sense 6), couch-bushel, couch-frame, couch-gauge (see quots.); † couch-bed, a couch used as a bed, a bed without canopy or hangings: so couch-bedstead; couch-mate, a bedfellow; couch-roll, a roller forming part of the machinery used in paper-making (cf. couch v.1 6, coucher3).
¶ couch-fellow, bedfellow, cited by Johnson, from Shakes., is a conjectural alteration of the actual reading coach-fellow, q.v.
| 1625 K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis iii. xxiv. 229 The *Couch-Bed, which was..inlayde with Checker-worke of Silver. 1691 Lond. Gaz. No. 2653/4 A Couch-Bed made of Point of Hungary red and green. |
| 1755 Mem. Capt. P. Drake I. xv. 146 Little Cells, with a *Couch Bedsted in each. |
| 1766 C. Leadbetter R. Gauger (ed. 6) ii. v. 277 A number of Floor-Bushels that are equal in Charge to those Cistern or *Couch-Bushels. |
| 1880 Browning Dram. Idylls Ser. ii. Doctor ―, From *couch-foot back to pillow. |
| 1766 C. Leadbetter R. Gauger (ed. 6) ii. v. 274 Where *Couch-frames are used he must take their Dimensions when they are empty. 1846 M{supc}Culloch Acc. Brit. Emp. (1854) I. 755 The grain, after being steeped..is thrown out of the cistern into a square or oblong utensil called a couch-frame. |
| 1766 C. Leadbetter R. Gauger (ed. 6) ii. v. 275 The Length, Breadth, and Depth of each *Couch-Gauge. |
| 1875 Browning Aristoph. Apol. 209 Zeus' *Couchmate. |
| 1855 R. Herring Paper (1863) 91 The ordinary *couch roll, which acts upon the upper surface of the paper. |
Add: [10.] couch potato slang (orig. U.S.) [potato app. punningly after (boob-)tuber = television addict and vegetable tuber, but perh. simply by association with vegetable n. 3], a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, esp. watching television or videotapes.
| 1979 Los Angeles Times (California Record ed.) 28 Dec. iv. 1/6 The Humboldt State Marching Lumberjacks..and the Couch Potatoes who will be lying on couches watching television as they are towed toward the parade route. 1983 Mingo & Armstrong Official Couch Potato Handbk. 63 The Couch Potatoes..had their origins in sunny southern California. There the founding members invested their childhood years in countless hours before their TVs. 1984 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 19 June tm400/2 Robert E. Armstrong, Dixon, Calif. Filed Mar. 24, 1983... Couch Potatoes. The mark consists of a fanciful representation of a person in the form of a potato reclining on a couch, viewing television... For novelty items—namely, humorous paper wall certificates, [etc.]. 1987 New Musical Express 14 Feb. 10/2 Naomi, a resilient divorcee mother of two, gave up opportunities in the world of modelling and in Tinseltown LA in order to stop her kids becoming couch potato video generation trash brains. 1990 Observer 4 Feb. 3/3 Living in the village [in Lancashire] is a 17-year-old TV addict who is keenly looking forward to life as a ‘couch potato’. |
▪ II. couch, n.2
(kaʊtʃ, kuːtʃ)
Also 6–7 couche, 7 cooch, coich; see also quitch.
[A variant (app. originating in the southern counties, where still pronounced (kutʃ)) of quitch:—OE. cwice; cf. the phonetic series swylc, swich, swuch, such.]
1. A species of grass (Triticum repens) with long creeping root-stocks, a common and troublesome weed in cornfields. Also applied to various other creeping grasses.
T. repens is sometimes distinguished as white couch; the name black couch being given to Alopecurus agrestis or Agrostis stolonifera.
| 1637 Heywood Dial. Wks. 1874 VI. 266 Her browsing be the Brakes and bitter couche. 1794 Martyn Rousseau's Bot. xiii. 147 It is..generally execrated by husbandmen under the name of Couch, or Quich, which is but a corruption of Quick. 1776 Withering Brit. Plants (1796) II. 132 In clayey arable lands this is a troublesome couch or squitch. 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. 353 When the soil is very full of couch. 1881 Daily News 4 June 5/6 The couch will not be..eradicated in one year. |
b. More commonly couch-grass.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens iv. xliv. 503 Couche grasse..is a noughty and hurtful weede to corne. 1613 Heywood Silv. Age iii. Wks. 1874 III. 140 Wheat, whose spykes the weed and cooch-grasse shall outgrow. 1877 Black Green Past. (1878) I. 7 The whole place is overrun with couch-grass. |
2. Comb., as couch-picking, couch-root; couch-onion, a name for Avena elatior or Haver-grass; couch-wheat, Triticum repens = couch-grass (see 1 b).
| 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 153 To burn nothing but couch roots and other perennial rubbish. 1880 Jefferies Hodge & M. II. 262 In the autumn comes..the couch-picking and burning. 1884 Miller Plant-n., Couch, Couch-grass, or Couch-wheat, Triticum repens. Ibid., Avena elatior, Button-Grass, Couch Onion, Haver-Grass, Onion-Grass, Pearl-Grass. |
▪ III. couch, v.1
(kaʊtʃ)
Forms: 4–5 cowche, 4–6 couche, 6–7 cowch, coutch(e, (4 kouch, chouche, 4–5 kowch, 5 couce, 6 chouch, chowch), 6– couch.
[a. F. coucher (12th c.), earlier colcher, culcher = Pr. colcar, It. colcare:—L. collocāre to lay in its place, lay aright, lodge, etc., f. com- together, intensive + locāre to place.]
I. Transitive uses.
In the active voice Obs. in ordinary use, except in a few technical senses, as 4 b, 5, 6, 9; 7, 8, 15, are literary. In some other senses the pa. pple. survives in archaic, poetic, or literary use.
* To lay down flat, and related senses.
† 1. trans. To cause to lie down, to lay down (a person, oneself, one's head, etc.); to lay to sleep, put to bed; refl. to lie down. Obs. (exc. as in b).
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 92 If he may couche adown his bill. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. xii, Thus am I cachet to care, and couchet in clay. c 1550 Adam Bel 76 in Hazl. E.P.P. II. 142 Home she wente, And couched her downe agayne. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits xiv. (1596) 256 They couched a verie faire lady by his side. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. ii, Thou look'st sunk-eyed; go couch thy head. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 14 Caused her to bee brought to the Palace..and couch'd her in a withdrawing chamber neere her owne. 1685 F. Spence House of Medici 430 He fell into a drooping which couch'd him in his grave. |
b. Now only in pa. pple. = Laid or lying on, or as on, a couch.
| 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis i. (Arb.) 24 Coucht in a meddow Theyre panch with venison they franck and quaffye carousing. 1820 Keats Ode to Psyche 9 Two fair creatures [Cupid and Psyche], couched side by side In deepest grass. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop xxvii, The driver was couched upon the ground beneath. 1878 Masque Poets 25 Cleopatra, couched at feast. |
c. Said of animals; almost always refl. or pass. arch.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 2240 Þat witty werwolf..kouchid him under a kragge. c 1450 Lonelich Grail lvi. 493 The ton lyown Cowched him at his feet and the tothir atte the hed. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. ii. 722 The Hind..Then couched her self securely by her side. 1697 ― Virg. Georg. iii. 706 Thou seest a single Sheep..couch'd upon the Plain. 1879 Butcher & Lang Odyss. 58 As when a hind hath couched her newborn fawns..in a strong lion's lair. |
d. fig.
| 1539 Taverner Erasm. Prov. (1552) 4 Moue not an euyll that is well layed. An incommoditie wel couched is not to be sturred. 1833 Wordsw. By the Seaside Wks. (1888) 710/2 The sun is couched, the sea-fowl gone to rest. |
† e. to couch a hog's head (also a cod's head): to lie down to sleep. Obs. slang.
| c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. (Percy Soc.) 12 Some couched a hogges heed under a hatche. 1570 Marr. Wit & Sc. iv. i. in Hazl. Dodsley II. 365, I have more need to take a nap in my bed. Will. [aside] Do so, and, hear you, couch a cod's-head! 1641 Brome Jov. Crew ii. Wks. 1873 III. 392 Couch a Hogs-head, till the dark-man's past. 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 19 Couch a hogshead with me than. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xxx, ‘We'll couch a hogshead, and so better had you’. |
† f. To track (a boar) to its lair. Obs.
| 1674 N. Cox Gentl. Recreat. 5 To couch and rear a Boar. |
† 2. To cause to crouch or lie close; in pa. pple. prostrated, crouching, lying close; cf. sense 17.
| 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 507 Hee shakes aloft his Romaine blade, Which like a Faulcon towring in the skies, Cowcheth the fowle below with his wings shade. 1613 Hayward Norm. Kings in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 18 Their ancient laws..were dashed to dust; all lay couched under the conqueror's sword. 1725 Pope Odyss. xxii. 402 Trembling with dismay, Couched close to earth, unhappy Medon lay. |
† 3. To lay (things); to place, set, put down; to dispose horizontally or in layers. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 2075 The fyr was couchid first with stree, And thanne with drye stykkes. ― Miller's T. 25 His Almageste and bookes..His Astrelabie..His Augrim stones layen..On shelues couched at his beddes heed. c 1400 Rom. Rose 6905 On folkes shuldris thinges they couchen, That they nyl with her fyngris touchen. c 1410 Anc. Cookery 461 Then couche the chekyns in dishes. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. xiii. 77 Lay up and couche the cleane wheate in my barne. 1575 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 98 A litell apish hat chowchd faste to y⊇ pate like an oister. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 52 b, If they had couchte all their noddles together. 1589 Pasquil's Ret. D ij, I couch it..with all..humilitie at her Maiesties..feete. 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme i. v. 23 An vnderstorie..to couch your wines and cidres in. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 379 The bones of the dead couched vp in the Charnell-house. 1669 A. Browne Ars Pict. 84 Smoothness of shadowes, or close and sweet couching the colours. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship 54 To couch well is to lay close and even. |
† b. Building. To lay (stones, etc.) in a wall or building; to bed. Obs.
| 1531 Elyot Gov. iii. xix, The stones beinge not surely couched and mortred, falleth a way. 1538 Leland Itin. II. 88 There be few Peaces of Work yn England of thantiquite of this that standith so hole and so well couchid. c 1570 Pride & Lowl. (1841) 32 In his hand he had a flat measure..Whereby his length and bredth he tooke..And wisely couched both his stone and brick. 1607 Hieron Wks. I. 236 Wilt not thou suffer a ragged vnhewen stone to bee couched in thy wall? 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 743 The Chappell..where this spatious Grauestone lies couched. |
† c. Gardening. To lay, set, bed (plants or slips) in the earth. Obs.
| 1574 T. Hill Planting 84 Place or couche them [roots] in the sayde hole and earth againe. 1660 Sharrock Vegetables 127 Couch them in the bed where you rais'd them from seeds. 1710 London & Wise Compl. Gard. (1719) 293 Florists now are busie in couching their Layers. |
† d. To lay, overlay (gilding on a surface); to set (jewels in their setting). Obs.
| 14.. E.E. Misc. (Warton Club) 84 To cowche gold: take gleyre and saffrone..and cowche on thy gold whyle it is moyste. 1578 Hunnis Hyvef. Hunnye Gen. xxiv. 22 Rich jewels coucht in silver fine. |
† 4. With inverted construction: To lay, overlay, inlay, spread, set with (of). Chiefly in pa. pple.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 5652 Alle he was couched with azur. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xix. cxxix. (1495) 937 The way is..pauyd and cowchyd wyth harde stones. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 909 Clasppis of clere golde, couched wyth stones. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iii. ix. (1483) 55 A table that was couchid with sulfur and with quyck coles. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1570) 169 Gayly couched and set with precious stone. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 858/2 Two great cellars couched full of wine. c 1611 Chapman Iliad xiii. 719 His huge round target..With hides well couch'd with store of brass. |
b. To embroider with gold thread or the like laid flat on the surface. Also absol.
| c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1303 His coote armour was of a cloth of Tars, Cowched of perlys whyte. 1537 Stat. Ireland (1765) I. 121 No woman..weare any kyrtell..couched ne layd with usker after the Irish fashion. 1604 Middleton Black Bk Wks. 1840 V. 543 Under the plain frieze of simplicity thou mayest finely couch the wrought velvet of knavery. 1890 Art Interchange 20 Dec. 216/2 Couch around the edges of flowers and leaves. 1891 Ibid. 14 Feb. 55/1 The edge should be sewed down and couched with gold thread. |
5. Malting. To lay or spread (grain after steeping) on a floor to promote germination.
| 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 181 No bruer..Dare couch malte and water, in house togyther. 1615 Markham Eng. Housew. (1660) 156 The Corn being steept, may..be cast from the Fat or Cestern to the floor, and there coucht. 1707 Mortimer Husb. (J.), If the weather be warm, we immediately couch malt about a foot thick; but if a hotter season require it, we spread it on the floor much thinner. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Malt, Then it must be couch'd or heap'd. 1876 [see couching]. |
6. Paper-making. To lay (a sheet of pulp) upon a felt to be pressed. (Cf. coucher3.)
| 1751 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Paper, He delivers it [the pulp] to the coucher, who couches it upon a felt laid on a plank, and lays another felt on it; and so successively. 1807 Specif. Cobb's Patent No. 3084 The said machinery for couching is used in the manner last described. |
** To lower, bring down, put down.
7. To lower (a spear, lance, etc.) to the position of attack, grasping it in the right hand with the point directed forwards; to level as a gun.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xi, Than they dressid her sheldes, and beganne to couche her speres many good knyghtes. 1581 Styward Mart. Discipl. 110 If your battaile be assalted with horse, then couch and crosse your pikes. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 134 A brauer Souldier neuer couched Launce. 1670 Cotton Espernon iii. xi. 544 With his Musket couch'd at his Cheek. 1757 Gray Bard i. i, To arms! cried Mortimer, and couch'd his quiv'ring lance. 1808 J. Barlow Columb. v. 632 They..couch the long tube..dismiss the whizzing lead. 1837 Thirlwall Greece IV. xxxiii. 291 The phalanx advanced, with spears couched. |
8. To lay or bring down, lower, depress (a member or part of the body, etc.).
| c 1611 Chapman Iliad xiii. (R.), All heads coucht so close to earth they plow The fallow with their hornes. a 1711 Ken Sion Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 419 My Guardian [Angel] couch'd his Wing. 1753 Chambers Cycl. Supp. s.v. Apple, Six or eight thorns, some erect, others couched. 1796 Hull Advertiser 6 Feb. 4/3 She..couched her head for fear she should get the blow. 1835 Kirby Hab. & Inst. Anim. I. vi. 212 When the longer ones [spines] are couched..the short ones may come into play. 1858 Greener Gunnery 8 They might the more readily couch their cheeks to take aim. |
9. Surg. To remove (a cataract) by inserting a needle through the coats of the eye and displacing the opaque crystalline lens below the axis of vision. Also to couch the eye or couch a person.
| 1601 Holland Pliny II. 234 To be pricked with a needle for couching of a cataract. 1634 T. Johnson tr. Parey's Chirurg. xvii. xxii. (1678) 385 Sometimes..the Cataract is not couched whole, but is broken into many pieces. 1710 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) VI. 620 Sir William Read..coucht one of the eyes of Sir Simon Harcourt with successe. 1764 Reid Inquiry vi. §3 The young man couched by Cheselden. 1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton xxxviii, She has been couched, and can see as well as ever. 1871 Morley Voltaire (1886) 255 The surgeon who has couched his patient's cataract. |
b. fig. in reference to mental or spiritual vision.
| 1728 Young Love Fame ii. (1757) 96 So blind are mortal men, Tho' Satire couch them with her keenest pen. 1839 De Quincey Recoll. Lakes Wks. II. 135 She it was..that first couched his eye to the sense of beauty. |
† 10. fig. To put down, quell, suppress, lay. Obs.
| 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinshed II. 77/2 Which broiles being couched for a time. 1671 True Non-conf. 152 That your vanity may be..hereafter coutched. |
† 11. To bring down, lower in dignity. Obs.
| 1602 W. Fulbecke Pandectes 32 The state being now couched, and deuolued to the dregges of the people. |
*** To place, lodge; hide; express in words.
† 12. To place in a lodging or dwelling; to lodge; pass. to be lodged or located. Obs.
| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) vi. 63 Þei haue none houses, but tentes..and þere benethe þei couchen hem and dwellen. c 1534 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 139 Hee cowched him self in an abbay. 1651 Reliq. Wotton. (1685) 291 They were couched in the College. 1690 in Kirkton Hist. Ch. Scot. viii. (1817) 339 The Councill went on to couch the ministers in their confynements. |
† 13. To lay in concealment (more or less); to hide, conceal; refl. and pass. to lie hidden, to lurk. Obs. or arch.
| 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 1217/2 There were some harquebusiers secretlie couched in couert. 1610 P. Barrough Meth. Physick v. xvii. (1639) 310 If the quantity of humour be great, it sometime coucheth it selfe in some principall member. 1650 Fuller Pisgah ii. v. 123 Much of providence being couched under the seeming casualty thereof. 1792 F. Burney Diary Apr., He wears no semblance that has not a real and sympathetic substance couched beneath. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles v. xxvii, Couch thee midway on the wold. |
† 14. To set, place, put (together with others, in a list, category, etc.); to collocate, comprise, include. Obs.
| 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Pref. 14 Couched together in this one weorke. 1573 Baret Alv. To Rdr. (1580) 2, I have couched manie wordes together..in the..tables for breuitie sake. 1581 Marbeck Bk. of Notes 102, I..couched him in this Catalogue of Heretikes. 1642 Howell For. Trav. (Arb.) 23 Hee must couch in a faire Alphabetique paper-book the notablest occurrences. 1729 G. Shelvocke Artillery v. 310 Under them are couched all Frauds, underhand Practices, &c. |
15. To put together, frame, shape, arrange (words, a sentence, etc.); to express in language, put into words; to set down in writing. Now always to couch in such and such terms, words, language, etc.
| 1529 More Supplic. Soulys Wks. 290/1 It is so contriued, & the wordes so cowched, that..a simple reader might..in the reding be deadly corrupted. 1586 W. Webbe Eng. Poetrie (Arb.) 63 In chouching the whole sentence, the like regarde is to be had. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxiii. 205 The words wherein the question..is couched. 1702 Eng. Theophrast. 282 Flattery well couch'd. 1746 Wesley Princ. Methodist 5 The Argument..is best understood when couched in few words. 1755 N. Magens Insurances II. 255 All Insurances..shall be couched and executed according to the..Manner prescribed. 1830 Lytton P. Clifford i, All the answers he received were couched in the negative. 1876 C. M. Davies Unorth. Lond. 99 The Swedenborgians..couching it in their own peculiar phraseology. |
b. To express in an obscure or veiled way; to cover up (an idea, meaning, etc.) under, in, etc. (Formerly sometimes with up: cf. to wrap up.)
| 1563 Homilies ii. Fasting i. (1859) 282 In this smooth question they couch up subtilly this argument or reason. 1589 Nashe Green's Menaphon Ded. (Arb.) 14 Which lies couched most closely vnder darke fables profounditie. 1652 Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 47 The Truth it self which lay couched in this Fable. 1691 E. Taylor tr. Behmen's Theos. Philos. 410 The whole New Testament is couched up in the Old. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 214 ¶6 That great Philosopher..has couched several admirable Precepts in remote Allusions and mysterious Sentences. 1880 J. Caird Philos. Relig. vii. 195 Materialistic metaphors under which our spiritual conceptions are couched. |
II. Intransitive uses (from refl.).
Now chiefly said of, or with figurative reference to, beasts.
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16. To lie. a. Of persons: esp. To lie in a place or position of rest, to lie at rest or in sleep; to recline, to repose. arch.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 168 [Prestis] chouchen in softe beddis. 1567 Harman Caveat 32 They haue cleane strawe in some barne..where they couch comly to gether. a 1652 J. Smith Sel. Disc. ix. 415 The souls of wicked men..become heavy and sink down..and couch as near as may be to the centre. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles v. iv, At eve they couch'd in greenwood bower. 1833 H. Martineau Fr. Wines & Pol. vi. 96 The peasantry..live under roofs of rushes and couch upon beds of straw. 1885 G. Meredith Diana I. i. 24 Couching in a garden, catching with one hand at fruits. |
b. Of animals: now spec. to lie in their lair.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 84 The ȝonge whelp..Haþ noght his maistre betre awaited To couche, whan he seith go lowe. 1546 Supplic. Poore Commons (1871) 84 Yf they [these dombe dogges] be but ones byde cowche..they draw the tayle betwine the legges. 1549–62 Sternhold & H. Ps. civ, To couche in their dennes. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v., Wild-boar, A Boar coucheth, Lodgeth. 1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds i. 9 The beasts would couch in our neighbourhood. 1846 Jesse Anecd. Dogs 270 An otter..it was supposed that he had gone to couch more inland. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. x. 106 They prefer the bare snow, where they can couch within the sound of our voices. |
| fig. 1545 Primer Hen. VIII, 137 The waues couched, the winds fell. |
† c. Of things: To lie (in the general sense). Obs.
| c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. ii. §29 Lat thyn Astrelabie kowch adown euene vpon a smothe grond. 1578 Banister Hist. Man i. 24 The ribbes..endewed with Appendances..where they couche with the cauities of the Vertebres. 1611 Bible Deut. xxxiii. 13 The deep that coucheth beneath. 1640 Sanderson Serm. xii. (1681) II. 174 The laying of Stones together by making them Couch close one to another. 1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade-m. ii. §8 (1689) 11 So as they may twine, and couch close one within another. |
17. To take or fall into a posture more or less approaching that of lying at rest. a. To lie down, crouch, cower, as a beast, in obedience, fear, etc. † b. To crouch or stoop under a burden (obs.). † c. Of persons: To bow in reverence or obeisance; to curtsy (obs.). d. fig. (from a and c) To bow in subserviency or submission; to submit, succumb.
| c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 1150 Thou shalt make him couche as doth a quaille. ? a 1400 Morte Arthure 122 The Romaynes..Cowchide as kenetez before þ⊇ kynge selvyne. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 96, I cowche to the than for fayn nere gretyng, Haylle, Lord! 1534 Rt. Whitinton Tullyes Offyce i. (1540) 30 To stoupe for no man..nor to couche to fortune. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apophth. 305 a, He with a nauie of three hundred shippes made sixe hundred shippes of theirs couche. a 1553 ― Royster D. i. iv, Couche on your marybones..down to the ground. 1571 Campion Hist. Ireland ii. ix. (1633) 110 A Lady of such part, that all Estates of the Realme couched unto her. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. i. 4 An aged Squire..That seemd to couch under his shield. 1607 T. Walkington Opt. Glass 43 The Asse wittily coucht down to ease himself of his waight. 1611 Bible Gen. xlix. 14 Issachar is a stronge asse couching downe betweene two burdens. 1650 R. Hollingworth Exerc. conc. Usurped Powers 46 To perswade men to couch down under Usurpation. 1821 J. Baillie Metr. Leg., Columbus xlix, Like spaniel couching to his lord. |
† e. transf. Of plants: To lie or bend close to the ground. Of leaves: To droop. Obs.
| 1601 Holland Pliny II. 224 It coucheth and creepeth low by the ground, and is like vnto Millet. 1681 J. Chetham Angler's Vade-m. xli. §7 The Weeds which have couched all Winter, begin to erect their heads. 1744 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandman vi. ii. (1750) 82 Frosts that will cause the leaves..to look yellow and couch. |
18. To lie in ambush, to lurk.
| 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis ii. (Arb.) 44 Heer ar couching soom troups of Greekish asemblye. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 31 The beast..cowching close in his cabbin. 1718 Pope Iliad x. 210 The unwearied watch their listening leaders keep, And couching close, repel invading sleep. 1813 Scott Rokeby iii. iv, Bertram..couches in the brake and fern, Hiding his face. 1859 Tennyson Idylls, Guinevere 31 Sir Launcelot passing by Spied where he couch'd. |
19. Of leaves, etc.; To lie in a bed or heap for decomposition or fermentation.
| 1770–4 A. Hunter Georg. Ess. (1804) II. 63 [Oak leaves] after being raked into heaps..should immediately be carried to some place near the hot-houses, where they must lie to couch. 1807 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 260 When the heat in the process of couching has gone too far. 1851 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XII. ii. 385 The leaves..are crushed..into a pulp. This is..made up into balls, and dried for several days in open sheds..The mill grinds the hardened balls into powder, and ‘couching’ then begins; the powder being watered daily for several weeks, ferments. |
▪ IV. couch, v.2
(kaʊtʃ, kuːtʃ)
[f. couch n.2]
trans. To clear of couch-grass.
| 1846 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 341 Strong wheat-loam..repeatedly ploughed, dragged, harrowed, and couched. |