'couch' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'coucher', where 'coucher' meant 'to lie down'.

'couch' changed from Old French noun 'couche' (a bed) and verb 'coucher' and eventually became the modern English word 'couch' through Middle English borrowing.

Initially it meant 'to lie down' or referred to 'a place to lie', but over time it evolved to include senses such as 'to lay down' and metaphorically 'to phrase or express'—meanings that survive in modern usage.