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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of couching

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

Example Sentences

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

“If you saw him on TV, he’s just bold-faced saying, without couching or mincing his words, what he stands for.”

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2022

There was no way to take the edge off the words by couching them as good ol’ boy jokes or politically incorrect misunderstandings or locker room talk.

From Washington Post • Feb. 22, 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