couchant C2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈkaʊtʃənt/ UK /ˈkaʊtʃənt/ See IPA manual Freq #271761 Meanings 1 adj heraldry: lying down with the body resting on the legs and the head raised The shield bore a silver dog couchant beneath a red star. 2 adj literary or historical: lying down or crouching A stone lion couchant guarded each side of the entrance. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · heraldry: lying down with... recumbentcrouching 2 adj · literary or historical:... recumbentcrouching ↔ Opposites rampantstanding Word family Derived forms counter-couchant Related forms couchheraldry Etymology From Middle English and Anglo-French couchant, the present participle of coucher, 'to lie down.' Heraldry preserved the term for an animal shown lying with its head raised. Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # couchant **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈkaʊtʃənt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkaʊtʃənt/ **Frequency rank:** 271761 ## Meanings 1. heraldry: lying down with the body resting on the legs and the head raised 2. literary or historical: lying down or crouching ## Examples - The shield bore a silver dog couchant beneath a red star. - A stone lion couchant guarded each side of the entrance. ## Synonyms - recumbent - crouching ## Antonyms - rampant - standing ## Derived Forms - counter-couchant ## Related Forms - couch - heraldry ## Etymology From Middle English and Anglo-French couchant, the present participle of coucher, 'to lie down.' Heraldry preserved the term for an animal shown lying with its head raised. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown