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Added 9 October 2026

mattress

/ˈmætɹɪs/ noun

In Latin: culcita Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mattress at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A large thick pad filled with resilient material and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a bed.

Origin

From Middle English materas, from Old French matras, from Arabic مَطْرَح (maṭraḥ, “place where something is thrown”), from طَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa, “to throw”). Compare divan, from Persian via Turkish (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans).

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

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