A rose by any other name unless its a couch, sofa, chesterfield or davenport

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What's in a Name? A History of Couch Terms

These days, terms such as couch and sofa are used interchangeably to describe our primary piece of living room furniture. Grandparents and older relatives might sometimes use the word chesterfield, and everyone knows that a loveseat is basically a smaller couch. So is there a difference between a couch, sofa, and chesterfield? Etymology - the history of language - has the answer.

Couching the Couch Couch actually has two meanings in English. The first and older meaning comes from 14th century Old French, specifically couche, meaning "bed" or coucher, meaning "to lie down." In the 16th century, couch also came to mean "to put into words" - an interesting twist for a piece of furniture with so many different names. The words couch and sofa are synonymous today, but they actually mean different things. A traditional couch was built similarly to e a chaise lounge or bed. Only the head end was raised, and a couch had only half of a back.

The word "sofa" is borrowed from Arabic, specifically the word suffah, which means "bench." In 17th century English, sofa first meant a raised section of a floor that was covered with carpets and cushions. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), by 1717 sofa had come to mean a long stuffed seat for reclining. Unlike traditional couches, traditional sofas had full backs and two raised ends.

As furniture design evolved, new couch designs required new terms. These couches often took on the names of their manufacturers or designers. Davenport, meaning a large upholstered couch, entered the language in 1897. According to the OED, chesterfield was coined as a couch word in 1900, derived from its inventor, the Earl of Chesterfield. Today, chesterfield means a couch with arms as high as its back.

As for loveseat, it's unclear when this term for a small sofa or double chair came into being. However, loveseat is one couch term that requires no explanation.