A settee is a long, cushioned seat with a back and arms, designed for two or three people to sit on comfortably. You might know it better as a sofa or couch. The main difference is that a settee is usually smaller and more formal-looking than a big, sprawling couch where you'd flop down to watch TV.

A settee is often an elegant piece of furniture in a fancy parlor or living room. Picture a wooden bench that someone decided to make much more comfortable by adding upholstery and a graceful design. People used settees for polite conversation in drawing rooms, not for lounging around in pajamas.

Today, you're more likely to hear “settee” in Britain than in America, where “couch” and “sofa” are more common. But you might still encounter the word in older books or when someone wants to sound particularly proper about their furniture. If your grandmother has a small, nicely upholstered seat in her living room that's too short to lie down on but perfect for two people having tea, that's probably a settee.