In heraldry, describing an animal (usually a lion) lying down with its head raised; also meaning reclining in general.
From Old French couchant (lying down), the present participle of couchier (to lie down), ultimately from Latin collocare (to place together).
Heraldry uses French words to describe exact animal poses because medieval knights wanted specific, unchanging descriptions of their symbols—a 'couchant' lion on your shield looked different from a 'rampant' one, and enemies needed to recognize your coat of arms instantly.
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