mattress

American  

[ma-tris] / ˈmæ trɪs /

noun

1. a large pad for supporting the reclining body, used as or on a bed, consisting of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, that contains hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, etc., or a framework of metal springs.

2. air mattress.

3. a mat woven of brush, poles, or similar material, used to prevent erosion of the surface of dikes, jetties, embankments, dams, etc.

4. a layer of concrete placed on bare ground, as to provide a footing; mat.

5. a layer of any material used to cushion, protect, reinforce, or the like.

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mattress British  

/ ˈmætrɪs /

noun

1. a large flat pad with a strong cover, filled with straw, foam rubber, etc, and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or as part of a bed

2. Also called: Dutch mattress.  a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour

3. Sometimes shortened to: mat.  a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footing

4. a network of reinforcing rods or expanded metal sheeting, used in reinforced concrete

5. civil engineering another name for blinding

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Etymology

Origin of mattress

1250–1300; Middle English materas < Old French < Italian materasso < Arabic maṭraḥ mat, cushion

Example Sentences

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the Lebanese Red Cross was distributing aid to households, including blankets, mattresses, meals, bread and safe drinking water.

From Barron's

She has been sleeping on a mattress on a classroom floor for months after fleeing her now destroyed border village after the previous hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah erupted.

From Barron's

That included eight months inside the notorious Villa Marista prison where he was held with three other men in a filthy, vermin-infested cell the area of a king-size mattress.

From The Wall Street Journal

Replacement cots have been arranged, and additional mattresses and clothing were sent to the ship after its laundry facilities were wiped out.

From BBC

“It will take a cot mattress, though. Oh yes. Easily!”

From Literature

Related Words

• bed
• cushion
• pallet