Mattress Meaning
/ˈmætɹɪs/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed with cloth fabric.
nounA form of retaining wall used to support foundations or an embankment
Sentence Examples
Mary raised the mattress in order to change the sheets.
Tom hid his money under his mattress.
CEFR Practice Quiz
I bought a new ____ to sleep on because the old one was too hard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They bought a new memory foam ____ to ensure they would have a more comfortable night's sleep.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English materas, from Old French, 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).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Spun glass mattresses are used for lagging the boiler, which has three Ross pop safety valves on the front ring."
— 1941 April, “British Locomotive Developments”, in The Railway Magazine, London: Tothill Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 173:
"The boiler and firebox are lagged with a lightweight Fibreglass mattress."
— 1951 March, “British Railways Standard "Britannia" Class 4-6-2 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 185:
"A comfortable litter of pine needles had mattressed the ground and spreading branches had been a canopy overhead."
— 1997, Andrew R. M. Patterson, A planet through a field of stars, page 123:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
I bought a new ____ to sleep on because the old one was too hard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They bought a new memory foam ____ to ensure they would have a more comfortable night's sleep.