# mattress

Pronunciation: say "MAT-ris" /ˈmætɹɪs/

## Noun

1. A padded support for sleeping, typically built around an inner layer of coiled springs wrapped in foam or other cushioning and enclosed in fabric.
   - Simple: A soft, thick pad for sleeping on, usually resting on a bed frame.
   - _The hotel replaced every mattress in the building last spring._
   - _A good mattress should support your spine while you sleep._
3. A type of retaining structure used to support foundations or to hold back an embankment.
   - Simple: A strong support built under or beside something to hold up a foundation or hold back a bank of earth.
   - _Engineers installed a concrete mattress beneath the pier to spread the load._
   - _A fascine mattress was sunk along the riverbank to protect the embankment._
4. A form of insulating lagging, used in particular to cover boilers.
   - Simple: A thick padded cover put around a boiler or pipe to stop heat from escaping.
   - _The engineer checked that the mattress around the boiler was still intact._
   - _A worn mattress lets heat leak away and wastes fuel._

## Verb

2. To cover something with a thick layer, in the manner of a blanket or padding.
   - Simple: To cover something with a thick, soft layer.
   - _Workers mattress the slope with brushwood to slow the erosion._
   - _Fallen leaves mattressed the path that wound through the woods._

## Origin

This word came into Middle English as 'materas' from Old French, which took it from Arabic 'maṭraḥ' (maṭraḥ, 'place where something is thrown'), based on 'ṭaraḥa' meaning 'to throw'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mattress (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).