Couch

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A couch is a generic term in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand^{[citation needed]} for an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. Couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge. They are covered in a variety of textiles, leather, or sometimes a combination of both.

Other terms synonymous with the above definition of couch are sofa (derived from the Arabic word suffah) and settee.

The traditional meaning of couch is a particular type of sofa with a half back and one raised end.^[1][2] By this definition it more closely resembles a daybed, chaise longue, or indeed a bed. In the UK, where the generic term for the item of living room furniture is usually "sofa" or "settee", the term "couch" retains this specific meaning, for example in a therapeutic setting (e.g. a psychiatrist's couch). A couch is therefore used while lying down, while a sofa or settee is for sitting upright. The word "couch" derives from Old French couche, meaning "bed", and from coucher, meaning "put to bed, lay down.".^[1]

The most common types of couches are the "loveseat", or British two-seater, and the settee or sofa, with two or more seats. A sectional sofa, often just referred to as a "sectional", is formed from multiple sections (typically two to four) and usually includes at least two pieces that join at an angle of 90 degrees or slightly greater, used to wrap around walls or other furniture. A sectional sofa is known as a corner sofa or corner suit in the UK.^{[citation needed]}

Other couch variants include the divan, the fainting couch (backless or partial-backed), the chaise longue (long with one armrest), the canapé (an ornamental 3-seater), and the ottoman (generally considered a footstool). To conserve space, some sofas double as beds in the form of sofa-beds, daybeds, or futons. There are also couches known by genericized trademarked names, such as a davenport or Chesterfield (named for the Earl of Chesterfield).^{[citation needed]}

The term "chesterfield" is a Canadian term equivalent to couch or sofa. The use of the term has been found to be widespread among older Canadians, but is quickly vanishing from Canadian English according to one survey done in the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario in 1992.^[3] In the United Kingdom, the word refers to a particular style of sofa featuring a low-rolled back and deep buttoning.

The term "three-piece suite" describes a furniture set consisting of a two or three-seater couch and two armchairs. Other less specific terms for sets with at least one sofa include "chesterfield suite", "lounge suite", "living-room suite" and "sofa suite".^{[citation needed]}

• The joiner's settle
• list of chairs for an extended list of various chair types and makes
• Sigmund Freud's and lacanian use of couch in psychoanalysis

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Couches.

• Etymology of "sofa"