eiderdown

[ahy-der-doun]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eiderdown ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

down, or soft feathers, from the breast of the female eider duck.

a heavy quilt or comforter, especially one filled with eiderdown.

a warm, lightweight knitted or woven fabric of wool, cotton, or man-made fibers, napped on one or both sides, used for sleepwear, infants' clothing, etc.

Origin of eiderdown

First recorded in 1765–75; eider + down²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for eiderdown

comforter, bedspread, blanket, sheet, quilt, linen, pillow, pillowcase, fuzz, lint, patchwork, cover, down, pad, puff, coverlet, counterpane, duvet, eiderdown, pouf

Examples from the Web for eiderdown

Historical Examples of eiderdown

She pulled the eiderdown about her head so as not to cry out so loudly that she would be heard.
The Dust Flower
Basil King
She jerked up in bed, clutching the eiderdown; her heart beat.
Bliss, and Other Stories
Katherine Mansfield
If your eiderdown is getting shabby, why not clean it and re-cover it yourself?
Needlework Economies
Various
It was rather a close afternoon, and she lay on her bed on the top of her eiderdown.
Just William
Richmal Crompton
I'll slip on a dressing-gown and curl up on top of the bed under an eiderdown.
Vision House
C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for eiderdown

eiderdown

noun

the breast down of the female eider duck, with which it lines the nest, used for stuffing pillows, quilts, etc

a thick warm cover for a bed, made of two layers of material enclosing a soft filling

US a warm cotton fabric having a woollen nap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for eiderdown

1774; see eider + down (n.). Ultimately from Icelandic æðardun, via a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish ederdunn) or German Eiderdon.