couching

American  

[kou-ching] / ˈkaʊ tʃɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that couches.

2. a method of embroidering in which a thread, often heavy, laid upon the surface of the material, is caught down at intervals by stitches taken with another thread through the material.

3. work so made.

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couching British  

/ ˈkaʊtʃɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. a method of embroidery in which the thread is caught down at intervals by another thread passed through the material from beneath

   2. a pattern or work done by this method

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Etymology

Origin of couching

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; couch, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

She calls back to their previous interaction in the beauty shop, couching it as Edward having attacked her.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025

Organizations have recognized that couching fears in imaginative play is productive.

From Scientific American • Oct. 20, 2023

Beside trepanning, the more radical surgeries included mastectomy, amputation, hernia reduction and cataract couching.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2023

“I’m very direct, and the people on my board appreciate that about me. In the country, there’s a lot of couching and people trying to say something and not wanting to be aggressive about it.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 26, 2022

A greyhound, as white as ivory, couching on its hocks and elbows, its tail curved into the bony sickle of the greyhound, watched the old man with the doe-soft eyes of pity.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White