What Is the Difference Between a Settee, a Divan, and a Couch and Where Did the Words Come From?

A settee, a divan, and a couch are all parlour furniture designed for sitting.

Settee entered the language from the German setlaz, which means simply “seat.”

Divan is from the Persian word for “council of rulers” and was given as a name to an armless couch.

The word couch originally referred to a bed and comes from the French word coucher, meaning “to lie in place” like “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi.”