mattress

CEFRB1

/ˈmætɹɪs/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A soft, flat object used for sleeping on a bed.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A form of retaining wall used to support foundations or an embankment

Examples

  • Mary raised the mattress in order to change the sheets.

  • Tom hid his money under his mattress.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A 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.

  2. A form of lagging, in particular for boilers.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To cover with a thick layer, like a mattress; to blanket.

More examples

In context

  • Spun glass mattresses are used for lagging the boiler, which has three Ross pop safety valves on the front ring.

  • The boiler and firebox are lagged with a lightweight Fibreglass mattress.

  • A comfortable litter of pine needles had mattressed the ground and spreading branches had been a canopy overhead.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

I bought a new blank to sleep on because the old one was too hard.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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).