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Webster 1913 Edition
Mattress
Mat′tress
,Noun.
[OF.
materas
, F. matelas
, LL. matratium
; cf. Sp. & Pg. almadraque
, Pr. almatrac
; all from Ar. maṭrah
a place where anything is thrown, what is thrown under something, fr. ṭaraha
to throw.] 1.
A large pad stuffed with hair, moss, or other suitable soft material, and quilted or otherwise fastened, used as or in a bed, to support the human body while lying down.
[Written also
matress
.] 2.
(Hydraulic Engin.)
A mass of interwoven brush, poles, etc., to protect a bank from being worn away by currents or waves.
Webster 1828 Edition
Mattress
MATTRESS.
[See Matress, a more correct orthography.]Definition 2024
mattress
mattress
English
Mattress
Noun
mattress (plural mattresses)
- A pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed with cloth fabric.
- A form of retaining wall used to support foundations or an embankment
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Translations
a pad on which a person can recline and sleep
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engineering: a flat structure of brushwood or similar material used to provide a foundation for a structure including embankments
See also
Verb
mattress (third-person singular simple present mattresses, present participle mattressing, simple past and past participle mattressed)
- (transitive) To cover with a thick layer, like a mattress; to blanket.
- 1997, Andrew R. M. Patterson, A planet through a field of stars (page 123)
- A comfortable litter of pine needles had mattressed the ground and spreading branches had been a canopy overhead.
- 1997, Andrew R. M. Patterson, A planet through a field of stars (page 123)