# What do you call a one-person sofa? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778 "2016-09-12T19:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/21 "2016-09-12T21:53:38Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > I always called them an easy chair or a living room chair. Yep, easy chair . ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/22 "2016-09-12T23:11:31Z")
They’re all couches to me. Except one seaters. That’s a chair, obviously. My grandparents used to have a 4-seater. Not one of those that turns a corner, it was just instead of 3 seats it had 4. Any special names for those? They always called it a “davenport” but that’s also what they called 3 seaters. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/23 "2016-09-12T23:39:22Z")
Tim. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/24 "2016-09-12T23:58:25Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There’s also the odd thing called a “chair and a half” which is sort of halfway between a chair (seating one comfortably) and a loveseat (seating two comfortably). I was under the impression that it’s an oversized chair for an oversized person, so it would seat one person comfortably. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/25 "2016-09-13T00:05:07Z")
“Easy chair.” “Recliner” if it has some mechanism to let the sitter lean back, with or without a rising footrest. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/26 "2016-09-13T00:12:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There’s also the odd thing called a “chair and a half” which is sort of halfway between a chair (seating one comfortably) and a loveseat (seating two comfortably). I had one of those; it was great. Deeper than normal too. Great for falling asleep in, and extra great for when the dog wants to sit with you. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/27 "2016-09-13T00:24:58Z")
I remember on one of the home improvement shows on HGTV, the designer used a chair-and-a-half that could be unfolded to make a single, twin-size bed. That seemed a good idea for a guest. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/28 "2016-09-13T03:29:57Z")
[koan]What is the sound of one cushion couching?[/koan] ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/29 "2016-09-13T05:56:48Z")
An easy chair. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/30 "2016-09-13T07:27:43Z")
Armchair. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/31 "2016-09-13T08:09:40Z")
The only couch meant for one is a _Fainting Couch_. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/32 "2016-09-13T14:55:36Z")
Ha! A couch (or chesterfield) _is_ meant for one person. Stretched out to read on or nap as required with or without cat asleep on your chest. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/33 "2016-09-13T15:07:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > [Chaise longue.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaise_longue) Is it just me or does anyone else have difficulty shaking the feeling they should be fed grapes by servants while reclining upon these? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/34 "2016-09-13T15:13:33Z")
They are all named Zem. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/35 "2016-09-13T15:14:34Z")
NM, that’s the mattresses. The chairs are named Tim, as posted above. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/36 "2016-09-13T15:25:17Z")
I would call the kind of comfy armchair or easy chair that looks like a sofa-for-one a [club chair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_chair) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/37 "2016-09-13T15:35:41Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I would call the kind of comfy armchair or easy chair that looks like a sofa-for-one a [club chair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_chair) The Wikipedia article is interesting in that the original French name for this kind of chair translates to “comfy chair” (OK, fine “comfortable armchair”). ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/38 "2016-09-13T16:15:05Z")
This is an area where the English language really falls short. In German, the word you are looking for is Sessel. I can’t believe that chair would be a word to describe this item, when a chair can already b everything from a desk chair with wheels to a dining chair. Which makes you think, how amazing the learning capabilities of toddlers are, to put these very different looking items in the same category. I’ve sometimes thought about the sort of abstraction that goes into that. If you were to define an algorithm that describes “chair”, you would have to have some very precise wording in order for something like a computer to understand you, but kids learn it just like that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/39 "2016-09-13T16:43:53Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > This is an area where the English language really falls short. In German, the word you are looking for is Sessel. I can’t believe that chair would be a word to describe this item… The word is “armchair,” as has been mentioned about three times. “Sessel” translates as such. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778/40 "2016-09-13T18:46:59Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > The word is “armchair,” as has been mentioned about three times. “Sessel” translates as such. I’d argue that the term “armchair” includes such non-sofa-like chairs-with-arms as Aeron chairs, Dante chairs and Adirondack chairs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-one-person-sofa/765778.md?page=3)