quilt

[ kwilt ]

noun

1. a coverlet for a bed, made of two layers of fabric with some soft substance, as wool or down, between them and stitched in patterns or tufted through all thicknesses in order to prevent the filling from shifting.
2. anything quilted or resembling a quilt.
3. a bedspread or counterpane, especially a thick one.
4. Obsolete. a mattress.

verb (used with object)

1. to stitch together (two pieces of cloth and a soft interlining), usually in an ornamental pattern.
2. to sew up between pieces of material.
3. to pad or line with material.

verb (used without object)

1. to make quilts or quilted work.

quilt

/ kwɪlt /

noun

1. a thick warm cover for a bed, consisting of a soft filling sewn between two layers of material, usually with crisscross seams
2. a bedspread or counterpane
3. anything quilted or resembling a quilt

verb

1. to stitch together (two pieces of fabric) with (a thick padding or lining) between them

   to quilt cotton and wool

2. to create (a garment, covering, etc) in this way
3. to pad with material
4. informal.
   to strike; clout

Derived Forms

• ˈquilter, noun

Other Words From

• quilter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of quilt¹

1250–1300; Middle English quilte < Old French cuilte < Latin culcita mattress, cushion

Word History and Origins

Origin of quilt¹

C13: from Old French coilte mattress, from Latin culcita stuffed item of bedding

Example Sentences

Even when their blooms are middling, they impress, and when they’re great — as in superblooms that cover entire hillsides like colorful quilts — they bring us to our knees.

From Los Angeles Times

Through these individual stories, "Citizen Nation" constructs a quilt of resilience and hope, even in painful moments.

From Salon

The New York Times decided that Smith & Dench "sink into their roles as comfortably as house cats burrowing into a down quilt on a windswept, rainy night".

From BBC

Ms Gould says she spends up to 60% of her time trying to figure out where to get funding from, describing the organisation’s financing as “a patchwork quilt”.

From BBC

Another look around his office prompted a thought: “My favorite farewell gift — I wish I could show it to you because it’s really quite something to see — is a quilt.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bedspread
• blanket
• comforter