mattress

[ ma-tris ]

/ ˈmæ trɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mattress ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large pad for supporting the reclining body, used as or on a bed, consisting of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, that contains hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, etc., or a framework of metal springs.

air mattress.

a mat woven of brush, poles, or similar material, used to prevent erosion of the surface of dikes, jetties, embankments, dams, etc.

a layer of concrete placed on bare ground, as to provide a footing; mat.

a layer of any material used to cushion, protect, reinforce, or the like.

Nearby words

matto grosso, mattock, mattoid, mattoon, mattrass, mattress, mattress suture, matty, matulane, matura diamond, maturate

Origin of mattress

1250–1300; Middle English materas < Old French < Italian materasso < Arabic maṭraḥ mat, cushion

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

Examples from the Web for mattress

Matthew complained about his jail-issued coveralls and the mattress in his cell after he was captured in Texas.
Alleged U.Va. Abductor Accused of Rape at Christian College|Michael Daly|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You tell Hassan to have the Iraqi army soldiers check the mattress.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mother unties the palm staves from the mattress, then takes the nylon ropes and ties the mattress to the boat.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The mattress causes the boat to tip forward, and in the ensuing rocking the boat begins to take on water.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The four of them move to the boat, right it, balance the mattress across its bow and shove it towards the water.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Yes, good crop that—'nough to stuff a mattress with; looks better to-day than when it's full of alkali dust," replied the Major.
John Ermine of the Yellowstone|Frederic Remington
When little Myrta was married she had a silk gown and a great bag of fine flour and pillows and mattress for her bed.
In the Border Country|Josephine Daskam Bacon
Looking in, I saw a lighted candle on a table, a bench, and a mattress on a truckle bedstead.
Great Expectations|Charles Dickens
However, I will lay the mattress of the spare bed of your cabin against the door, and lie down on it—that will do just as well.
Out with Garibaldi|G. A. Henty
Several stakes are set parallel with the cross stick and at a distance to make the length of the mattress.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for mattress

mattress

/ (ˈmætrɪs) /

noun

a large flat pad with a strong cover, filled with straw, foam rubber, etc, and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or as part of a bed

Also called: Dutch mattress a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour

a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footingSometimes shortened to: mat

a network of reinforcing rods or expanded metal sheeting, used in reinforced concrete

civil engineering another name for blinding (def. 3)

Word Origin for mattress

C13: via Old French from Italian materasso, from Arabic almatrah place where something is thrown

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