mattress

Where does the word "mattress" come from? It comes from Arabic al-matrah, passing through Italian and Old French before entering English (1300s).

Mattress’s story begins in Arabic: al-matrah meant “cushion, place to lie down.” Literally "the place where something is thrown down". By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as materasso. Arabic 'matrah', a place where something is thrown, a cushion on the floor. From there it passed into Old French as materas by 1200s. Carried the padded sleeping surface into French. It reached English by 1300s as mattress. Settled as the English word for a bed's padded surface. Today, mattress means a padded, often springy pad used on a bed for sleeping.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval al-matrah "cushion, place to lie down", literally "the place where something is thrown down".
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval materasso "mattress", Arabic 'matrah', a place where something is thrown, a cushion on the floor.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · 1200s materas "mattress", carried the padded sleeping surface into French.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s mattress "a padded surface for sleeping", settled as the English word for a bed's padded surface.