mattress

[ ma-tris ]

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.

mattress

/ 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 calledDutch mattress a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour
3. a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footing Sometimes shortened tomat
4. a network of reinforcing rods or expanded metal sheeting, used in reinforced concrete
5. civil engineering another name for blinding

Word History and Origins

Origin of mattress¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mattress¹

C13: via Old French from Italian materasso, from Arabic almatrah place where something is thrown

Example Sentences

Many seemed scrupulously cared for, but in others a rotted half-sprung mattress would block an upper floor window, with trash strewn in the yard.

From Salon

After that will come a “giant mattress of gravel” 12 inches deep, Rock said, laced with perforated pipes to collect runoff and direct it into Liberty Canyon Creek.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump 2024 campaign signs dot front yards, even if they are dwarfed by piles of sodden mattresses, sofas and cabinets.

From Los Angeles Times

She was made to sleep on the kitchen floor on a mattress with three children she was forced to care for.

From BBC

"We’ve got plates being thrown out the window, mattresses being ridden down the stairs, and I'm getting calls from the manager saying: 'You need to sort it out'."

From BBC

Related Words

• bed
• cushion
• pallet