quilt

American  

[kwilt] / kwɪlt /

noun

quilts plural

1. a coverlet for a bed, made of two layers of fabric with some soft substance, as wool or down, between them and stitched in patterns or tufted through all thicknesses in order to prevent the filling from shifting.

2. anything quilted or resembling a quilt.

3. a bedspread or counterpane, especially a thick one.

4. Obsolete. a mattress.

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verb (used with object)

quilts, present (3rd person singular) quilted, past participle, past quilting present participle

1. to stitch together (two pieces of cloth and a soft interlining), usually in an ornamental pattern.

2. to sew up between pieces of material.

3. to pad or line with material.

verb (used without object)

quilts, present (3rd person singular) quilted, past participle, past quilting present participle

1. to make quilts or quilted work.

quilt British  

/ kwɪlt /

noun

1. a thick warm cover for a bed, consisting of a soft filling sewn between two layers of material, usually with crisscross seams

2. a bedspread or counterpane

3. anything quilted or resembling a quilt

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verb

1. to stitch together (two pieces of fabric) with (a thick padding or lining) between them

   to quilt cotton and wool

2. to create (a garment, covering, etc) in this way

3. to pad with material

4. informal to strike; clout

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quilter
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quilts
  plural

Participles

• quilting
  present
• quilted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• quilt
  simple
• quilts
  simple
• have quilted
  perfect
• has quilted
  perfect
• am quilting
  progressive
• are quilting
  progressive
• is quilting
  progressive
• have been quilting
  perfect progressive
• has been quilting
  perfect progressive

Past

• quilted
  simple
• had quilted
  perfect
• was quilting
  progressive
• were quilting
  progressive
• had been quilting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will quilt
  simple
• will have quilted
  perfect
• will be quilting
  progressive
• will have been quilting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of quilt

1250–1300; Middle English quilte < Old French cuilte < Latin culcita mattress, cushion

Explanation

A quilt is a thick cover for a bed, made from pieces of fabric that are stitched together and filled with padding. Quilt is also a verb, so you can quilt a quilt. The simplest quilts have two layers of fabric that are sewn on either side of a layer of batting, a thin type of stuffing. Patchwork quilts have small pieces of cotton sewn into patterns, and the fabric is sewn over the batting with stitches that make decorative designs. A quilt was originally the same thing as a mattress, and the word comes from the Latin culcita, "mattress or bolster."

Example Sentences

This Stray Threads Quilt Guild event will feature more than 140 quilts on display, vendors like Clearview Design and Trouble Makers Bags, handcrafted gifts and four presenters who will cover various quilting topics.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2023

When the exhibition “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories” debuted at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston a year ago, its mission was clear: “to upend the notion of what a quilt is.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2022

Three Quilt Beings roamed among audience members who had been invited to sit onstage.

From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2022

The Legacy Quilt was sewn by Harlem Needle Arts and features illustrations by graphic designer Adrian Franks.

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2022

Quilt squares have been pushed to the edge.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• bedspread
• blanket
• comforter