coucher

See also: Coucher

English

Etymology

From Middle English coucher, from Anglo-Norman; equivalent to couch +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊt͡ʃə(ɹ)/
• Rhymes: -aʊtʃə(ɹ)

Noun

coucher (plural couchers)

1. One who couches.
2. (papermaking) One who couches paper.
3. (UK, law, obsolete) A factor or agent resident in a country for traffic.
   • 1601, John Keymor, “Observation made upon the Dutch fishing”, in The Phenix:

     She [the Herring-Buss] imployeth […] at Land Viewers, Packers, […] Couchers to make the Herrings lawful Merchandizes.

4. The book in which a corporation or other body registers its particular acts.
   • 1559, Iniunctions geven by the Queenes Maiestie […] :

     bookes, and specially of Grayles, Couchers, Legends, Processionailes […]

Anagrams

• courche, recouch

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French coucher, from Old French couchier, from Latin collocāre (“set in place”). Doublet of colloquer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.ʃe/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

coucher

1. (transitive) to lay, to lay down
2. (transitive) to put to bed, to put up (a lodger)
3. (reflexive) to go to bed
4. (reflexive) to set (of celestial objects)

   Antonym: se lever

   Quand le Soleil se couche-t-il ce soir ? ― When does the sun set?

   Le Soleil se lève à l’est et se couche à l’ouest.

   The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

   Les deux cercles polaires sont les parallèles des régions polaires au-delà desquels il existe au moins une journée où le Soleil ne se lève pas en hiver, et ne se couche pas en été.

   The two polar circles are the parallels of the polar regions beyond which there is at least one day when the Sun does not rise in winter and does not set in summer.

5. (transitive, agriculture) to lodge, to beat down (wheat)
6. (transitive) to layer (branches)
7. (transitive) to slant (writing)
8. (transitive, military) to aim at
9. (intransitive) to sleep
   • 1785, Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, Les 120 journées de Sodome, ou l'École du libertinage:

     Le soir, Michette est livrée en cul. Durcet prend la Martaine pour coucher dans sa chambre, à l’exemple du duc qui a Duclos et de Curval qui a Fanchon; cette fille prend sur lui le même empire lubrique que Duclos sur le duc.

     In the evening, Michette's arse is offered up. Durcet takes Martaine to sleep in his room, following the example of the duke, who has Duclos, and Curval, who has Fanchon; that girl has the same prurient hold on him as Duclos has on the duke.

10. (intransitive) to sleep with [with avec]
    • Refrain of the song Lady Marmalade by Patti LaBelle:

      Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir ?

      Do you want to sleep with me tonight?

11. (intransitive) to spend the night
12. (intransitive) to lodge
13. (intransitive) to pack off to bed

Conjugation

Conjugation of coucher (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	coucher
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	couchant /ku.ʃɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		couché /ku.ʃe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	couche /kuʃ/	couches /kuʃ/	couche /kuʃ/	couchons /ku.ʃɔ̃/	couchez /ku.ʃe/	couchent /kuʃ/
	imperfect	couchais /ku.ʃɛ/	couchais /ku.ʃɛ/	couchait /ku.ʃɛ/	couchions /ku.ʃjɔ̃/	couchiez /ku.ʃje/	couchaient /ku.ʃɛ/
	past historic2	couchai /ku.ʃe/	couchas /ku.ʃa/	coucha /ku.ʃa/	couchâmes /ku.ʃam/	couchâtes /ku.ʃat/	couchèrent /ku.ʃɛʁ/
	future	coucherai /kuʃ.ʁe/	coucheras /kuʃ.ʁa/	couchera /kuʃ.ʁa/	coucherons /kuʃ.ʁɔ̃/	coucherez /kuʃ.ʁe/	coucheront /kuʃ.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	coucherais /kuʃ.ʁɛ/	coucherais /kuʃ.ʁɛ/	coucherait /kuʃ.ʁɛ/	coucherions /ku.ʃə.ʁjɔ̃/	coucheriez /ku.ʃə.ʁje/	coucheraient /kuʃ.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	couche /kuʃ/	couches /kuʃ/	couche /kuʃ/	couchions /ku.ʃjɔ̃/	couchiez /ku.ʃje/	couchent /kuʃ/
	imperfect2	couchasse /ku.ʃas/	couchasses /ku.ʃas/	couchât /ku.ʃa/	couchassions /ku.ʃa.sjɔ̃/	couchassiez /ku.ʃa.sje/	couchassent /ku.ʃas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	couche /kuʃ/	—	couchons /ku.ʃɔ̃/	couchez /ku.ʃe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Synonyms

• (to go to bed) aller au lit, se pieuter

Derived terms

• à coucher dehors
• chambre à coucher
• comme on fait son lit on se couche
• coucher sur le papier
• se coucher avec les poules
• vélo couché

Descendants

• Haitian Creole: kouche
• → Esperanto: kuŝi
• → German: kusch
• → Italian: cucciare

Noun

coucher m (plural couchers)

1. going to bed
2. bedding
3. room and board
4. setting (sun)

   coucher de soleil — sunset, sundown

Further reading

• “coucher”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• cochour, cowchour, cowchur, cowcher

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman; equivalent to couche +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuːtʃər/, /ˈkuːtʃuːr/

Noun

coucher (plural couchers)

1. A worker of inlaid gems and metals.
2. A book containing prayers; a prayer-book.
3. (rare) One who lies in bed (either due to necessity or laziness).
4. (rare) A breed of dog.

Descendants

• English: coucher
• Scots: coocher

References

• “cǒuchǒur, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-20.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• couchier

Etymology

From Old French couchier.

Verb

coucher

1. (transitive) to put to bed

Conjugation

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

Conjugation of coucher

infinitive	simple	coucher
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle1 or gerund2	simple	couchant
	compound	present participle or gerund of avoir + past participle
past participle		couché
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		ie (i’)	tu	il, elle	nous	vous	ilz, elles
(simple tenses)	present	couche	couches	couche	couchons	couchez	couchent
	imperfect	couchois, couchoys	couchois, couchoys	couchoit, couchoyt	couchions, couchyons	couchiez, couchyez	couchoient, couchoyent
	past historic	coucha	couchas	coucha	couchasmes	couchastes	coucherent
	future	coucherai, coucheray	coucheras	couchera	coucherons	coucherez	coucheront
	conditional	coucherois, coucheroys	coucherois, coucheroys	coucheroit, coucheroyt	coucherions, coucheryons	coucheriez, coucheryez	coucheroient, coucheroyent
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que ie (i’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ilz, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	couche	couches	couche	couchons	couchez	couchent
	imperfect	couchasse	couchasses	couchast	couchassions	couchassiez	couchassent
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	couche	—	couchons	couchez	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The present participle was variable in gender and number until the 17th century (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], Une esthétique nouvelle: Honoré d'Urfé, correcteur de l'Astrée, p. 179). The French Academy would eventually declare it not to be declined in 1679.
2 The gerund was held to be invariable by grammarians of the early 17th century, and was usable with preposition en, as in Modern French, although the preposition was not mandatory (Anne Sancier-Château [1995], op. cit., p. 180).

Descendants

• French: coucher

Noun

coucher m (plural couchers)

1. setting (of the sun)