eiderdown

[ ahy-der-doun ]

noun

1. down, or soft feathers, from the breast of the female eider duck.
2. a heavy quilt or comforter, especially one filled with eiderdown.
3. a warm, lightweight knitted or woven fabric of wool, cotton, or man-made fibers, napped on one or both sides, used for sleepwear, infants' clothing, etc.

eiderdown

/ ˈaɪdəˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the breast down of the female eider duck, with which it lines the nest, used for stuffing pillows, quilts, etc
2. a thick warm cover for a bed, made of two layers of material enclosing a soft filling
3. a warm cotton fabric having a woollen nap

Word History and Origins

Origin of eiderdown¹

First recorded in 1765–75; eider + down ²

Example Sentences

On social media we're confessing to curling up with the cat on the eiderdown, with laptop, phone and notebook to hand.

From BBC

Alma’s poltergeist not only twiddled necklaces but sprang them from shop counters; it whipped saucers across rooms, upended eiderdowns, spun rings on to fingers.

From The Guardian

I pick it up and the flakes fall off like strands of eiderdown.

From Washington Post

Woven through are moving stories of the remote microeconomies engaged in these trades, such as Iceland’s eiderdown gatherers who, year on year, give safe haven to thousands of wild eider ducks in nesting season.

From Nature

They may be luxury commodities now, but civet coffee, eiderdown, sea silk, vicuña, vegetable ivory, guano and edible bird nests all started as local harvests.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• bed linen
• bedspread
• blanket
• comforter
• linen
• pillow
• pillowcase
• quilt
• sheet