English Reference

Word

mattress

Phoneticsmat·tress

US/ˈmætɹəs/

UK/mˈætɹəs/

Definitions

01bedding

A2

n. the large, soft part of a bed that you lie on to sleep.

n. a large rectangular pad for supporting the reclining body, used as or on a bed.

“The new mattress was so comfortable that I fell asleep immediately.”

“After years of sleeping on a worn-out frame, he finally invested in a high-quality memory foam mattress to alleviate his chronic back pain.”

Synonyms

02engineering/foundations

C2 · Science

n. a thick layer of material used to protect a foundation or a river bank.

n. a protective structure, often made of stone or concrete, used to stabilise foundations or prevent erosion on embankments.

“Engineers placed a concrete mattress along the river bank to stop the soil from washing away.”

“The structural integrity of the bridge was reinforced by a heavy-duty stone mattress designed to withstand the constant pressure of the tidal current.”

Technical

Synonyms

retaining walllayer

03to cover thickly

C2

v. to cover something with a thick, soft layer.

v. to cover or blanket a surface with a thick layer of material, resembling the application of a mattress.

“The fallen leaves started to mattress the forest floor as autumn arrived.”

“By mid-December, a heavy snowfall had begun to mattress the valley, muffling all sound and hiding the jagged rocks beneath a soft white layer.”

Literary

Etymology

From Middle English materas, from Old French, from Arabic مَطْرَح (maṭraḥ, “place where something is thrown”), from طَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa, “to throw”). Compare divan, from Persian via Turkish (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Idioms

go to the mattresses — To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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