futon

Where does the word "futon" come from? It comes from Japanese futon, and was adopted directly into English (1970s).

Futon’s story begins in Japanese: futon meant “a padded sleeping mattress.” A thin padded mattress rolled out for sleeping and stored away by day. It reached English by 1970s as futon. Adopted for the low wooden-framed bed popularized in the West. Today, futon means a padded mattress, often on a low folding wooden frame.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · medieval futon "a padded sleeping mattress", a thin padded mattress rolled out for sleeping and stored away by day.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1970s futon "a padded mattress on a low frame", adopted for the low wooden-framed bed popularized in the West.