eiderdown

[ahy-der-doun]

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of eiderdown

First recorded in 1765–75; eider + down²

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

Examples from the Web for eiderdown

Resolutely I pitched out the eiderdown into the dark and dirty air shaft.
The Man with the Clubfoot|Valentine Williams
The red splash of the eiderdown, just visible in the light from the adjoining window, seemed to be a horrible distance below me.
The Man with the Clubfoot|Valentine Williams
I dropped square on top of the eiderdown with one knee on a pillow and, though shaken and jarred, I found I had broken no bones.
The Man with the Clubfoot|Valentine Williams
She jerked up in bed, clutching the eiderdown; her heart beat.
Bliss, and Other Stories|Katherine Mansfield

Finally, sinking to sleep in a bed of eiderdown, Popanilla was confirmed in his prejudices against a state of nature.
The Voyage of Captain Popanilla|Benjamin Disraeli

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