Meanings
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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.
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2
adj
literary or historical: lying down or crouching
A stone lion couchant guarded each side of the entrance.
Thesaurus
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.