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.
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.
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.
Hear it pronounced