LET’S SETTLE THE DEBATE:

‘a long upholstered seat with a back and arms, for two or more people.’

The word ‘sofa’ originates from the Arabic word ‘soffah,’ which means a raised platform used as a seat covered with some sort of cushions or blankets. British travellers adapted this term along the way and brought it back to England with them from Arabia –pronouncing it ‘sopha.’ Eventually, the word ‘sofa’ was formed in England, arriving from France in the 17th century after being extremely popular among the rich. As a result, sofa became the most desirable word in the UK to name the long-cushioned thing in our living rooms.

‘a long-upholstered piece of furniture for several people to sit on.’

There are a few different interpretations of where the word couch stems from. Some say it derived from the French word ‘Couche’- a bed or lair which originates from the Latin word ‘collocare’ – a long seat you rest on, laying down at full length. Others believe it came from the word ‘Coucher,’ which literally means ‘to sleep.’ The main difference between a couch and a sofa is that traditionally, a sofa had both sides raised, but a couch had only one side raised – usually the head. Therefore, we can assume a couch is perhaps a comfier seating arrangement, and a sofa is more stable and supportive. The word couch is extremely popular in both America and Australia.

‘a long-upholstered seat for more than one person, typically with a back and arms.’

The word settee is allegedly a native English word meaning bench or small sofa. It has been said that the word ‘settee’ derived from the word ‘settle’ – a word used in the late 800s and meant something to sit on. ‘Settee’ is more likely to be heard up north than anywhere else and is said to be historically more formal than a sofa or couch and more high-end. It was often something used for young couples to sit down and get to know each other in the 1700s. From this, we can gauge that a settee is typically smaller than a sofa or a couch and is more like a padded lounge chair for one or two people to cosy up to rather than a spacious family seating piece.

‘Sofa’, ‘settee’ and ‘couch’ pretty much mean the same thing give or take a few backs, arms and inches. It is interesting to see how the origins of the names evolved from different places and word roots that have altered their purpose. So, in response to our questions from before, we cuddle up to someone on a settee, lay down to read a magazine on the couch and drink a nice cup of coffee on the sofa!