Skip to content

couchant

setting (sun)

adjective noun koo-SHAHN Rare
Time Time of Day

Also means

west

Usage Note

Couchant describes the setting sun or, as a noun, the direction of the setting sun — roughly the west. The heraldic term lion couchant describes a lion lying down. In everyday French, le soleil couchant is a poetic way to say 'the setting sun', with le coucher du soleil being the more common term.

Examples

"Le soleil couchant teinte l'horizon de rouge."

Natural Translation

The setting sun tints the horizon red.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic