_The Word "Couch"_ (Vol. v., p. 298.).--The word is French: coucher par
écrit. Ménage says, _coucher_, in its common sense, is derived from
_collocare_ in Latin, of which he gives instances as early as Catullus;
he might have gone back to Terence. Hence, says he, "coucher bien par
écrit, pour dire écrire avec ordre:" and quotes Salmasius, to show that
coucher par écrit answered to _digerere_, in the sense of writing a
digest.
The sense is the same as our expression "lay down," "lay down the law,"
&c., but we do not confine that to writing.