pillow

American  

[pil-oh] / ˈpɪl oʊ /

noun

1. a bag or case made of cloth that is filled with feathers, down, or other soft material, and is used to cushion the head during sleep or rest.

2. anything used to cushion the head; headrest.

   a pillow of moss.

3. Also called lace pillow.  a hard cushion or pad that supports the pattern and threads in the making of bobbin lace.

4. a supporting piece or part, as the block on which the inner end of a bowsprit rests.

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verb (used with object)

1. to rest on or as on a pillow.

2. to support with pillows.

3. to serve as a pillow for.

   She pillowed the child with her body.

verb (used without object)

1. to rest as on a pillow.

pillow British  

/ ˈpɪləʊ /

noun

1. a cloth case stuffed with feathers, foam rubber, etc, used to support the head, esp during sleep

2. Also called: cushion.  a padded cushion or board on which pillow lace is made

3. anything like a pillow in shape or function

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verb

1. to rest (one's head) on or as if on a pillow

2. to serve as a pillow for

Related Words

See cushion.

Other Word Forms

• pillowless adjective
• pillowlike adjective
• unpillowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of pillow

before 900; Middle English pilwe, Old English pylu < Latin pulvīnus cushion (whence also German Pfühl)

Example Sentences

Changing the bed sheets that morning, she said, she had found something under his pillow.

From Literature

And that’s certainly what she looked like when I first saw her, so shriveled and weak and vulnerable, her skin pale and paper-thin over her cheekbones, her hair creamy white against the pillows.

From Literature

He added: "Just the fact that I found it so normal, in a sad way, that it was okay to just put my head on the pillow and fall asleep."

From BBC

She advanced on the bed, and we scrambled to the headboard, clutching our feather pillows before us.

From Literature

“She’s making the most exquisite pillow casing in the Shu embroidery technique,” he said.

From Literature

Related Words

• cushion
• padding