duvet
Americannoun
noun
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another name for continental quilt
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Also called: duvet jacket. a down-filled jacket used esp by mountaineers
Etymology
Origin of duvet
First recorded in 1750–60; from French: “down” (plumage), Middle French, alteration of dumet, derivative of Old French dum, dun, ultimately from Old Norse dūnn; cognate with Dutch dons, German Daune, Swedish dun; down 2
Explanation
A duvet is a thick, warm blanket filled with down or feathers. Having a duvet on your bed keeps you warm at night. Usually, a duvet consists of a puffy quilt — also called a "comforter" — inside a specially fitted cover. If you use a duvet and cover, you don't need a top sheet or a bedspread. Duvet is originally a French word, and it's retained its silent t in English, being pronounced "doo-vay." Originally the French word was dumay, a diminutive of dum, or "down."
Vocabulary lists containing duvet
A Monster Calls
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Far from the Tree
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Between Shades of Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In this case, I can’t see how ironing out a few wrinkles and covering a rumpled duvet with a digital bedspread materially misrepresents your home.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Perhaps that’s somewhat different from covering a duvet with a bedspread — although, in fairness, that doesn’t exist either.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Pipes in lofts are also prone to problems so could benefit from having their own insulation "duvet" to stop thaw-related challenges.
From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026
Some have been to Laundry Wand to see a show, others just to wash a duvet.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2024
I can’t hear to watch the news any longer, so I go back upstairs and crawl under my duvet.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
