Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

cushion

/ˈkʊʃən/ noun

In Latin: cervīcal, culcita, pulvīnus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cushion at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support. A throw pillow. A thin, flat pad used on hard chairs and sometimes toilet seats.
A throw pillow.
A thin, flat pad used on hard chairs and sometimes toilet seats.

verb

To furnish with cushions.
to cushion a sofa
To seat or place on, or as on a cushion.
To absorb or deaden the impact of.
to cushion a blow

Origin

From Middle English quysshyn, from later Old French coissin (modern coussin), from Vulgar Latin *coxīnus (“seat pad”), derived from Latin coxa (“hip, thigh”) (with the suffix possibly after Latin pulvīnus (“pillow”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *koḱs- (“joint, limb”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word