period of rest reclining, 1840, from the verbal phrase (attested from c. 1200); see lie (v.2) + down (adv.).

1791, originally "habitually falling down" and used first of horses, from tumble (v.) + down (adv.); in reference to buildings, "in a dilapidated condition," from 1818.

1610s, from adverbial phrase up and down (c. 1200); see up (adv.) + down (adv.).

c. 1300, "droop, descend," from go (v.) + down (adv.). Meaning "decline, fail" is from 1590s. Sense of "to happen" is from 1946, American-English slang. Go down on "perform oral sex on" is from 1916.

to win something hands down (1855) is from horse racing, from a jockey's gesture of letting the reins go loose in an easy victory.

The Two Thousand Guinea Stakes was not the best contested one that it has been our fortune to assist at. ... [T]hey were won by Meteor, with Scott for his rider; who went by the post with his hands down, the easiest of all easy half-lengths. Wiseacre certainly did the best in his power to spoil his position, and Misdeal was at one time a little vexatious. [The Sportsman, report from April 26, 1840]

Ancient Greek had akoniti "without a struggle, easily," from akonitos (adj.), literally "without dust," specifically "without the dust of the arena."

1826, from the verbal phrase; see hand (v.). As a noun from 1874.

"to a lower place," Old English adune (adv.), originally a prepositional phrase, of dune "down, downward;" see a- (1) + down (adv.).

Old English leger "act or place of lying down; bed, couch; illness; the grave," from Proto-Germanic *legraz (source also of Old Norse legr "the grave," also "nuptials" (both "a lying down"); Old Frisian leger "situation," Old Saxon legar "bed," Middle Dutch legher "act or place of lying down," Dutch leger "bed, camp," Old High German legar "bed, a lying down," German Lager "bed, lair, camp, storehouse," Gothic ligrs "place of lying"), from PIE root *legh- "to lie down, lay." Meaning "animal's den" is from early 15c. Essentially the same word as layer (n.), but more ancient and differentiated in sense.

1620s, "place in the hands of another as a pledge for a contract," from Latin depositus, past participle of deponere "lay aside, put down, deposit," also used of births and bets, from de "away" (see de-) + ponere "to put, place" (past participle positus; see position (n.)). From 1650s as "lay away for safe-keeping;" from 1749 as "lay down, place, put." Related: Deposited; depositing.

c. 1300, "to spread or lay on a surface, to overlay," from Old French couchier "to lay down, place; go to bed, put to bed," from Latin collocare "to lay, place, station, arrange," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see com-) + locare "to place," from locus "a place" (see locus).

From late 14c. as "to lie down" (intransitive), also "cause to recline upon a bed or other resting place" (transitive). Meaning "lie hidden" is from 1580s. From 1520s as "to put into words;" hence "include the meaning of a word or statement, express in an obscure or veiled way, imply without distinctly saying" (1560s). Related: Couched; couching.

Heraldic couchant ("lying down with the head up") is late 15c., from the French present participle.