pillow
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a soft cushion that you put your head on when you are in bed.
n.a soft cushion used to support the head during sleep or rest.
Simple“He fluffed his pillow before lying down to sleep.”
In context“The hotel provides a variety of pillows, ranging from firm memory foam to soft goose down, to ensure guest comfort.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a rounded shape of rock formed by lava cooling under the ocean.
n.a rounded, sack-like structure of basaltic rock formed by the rapid cooling of lava underwater.
Simple“The divers photographed the strange pillow formations on the sea floor.”
In context“The presence of pillow lava in the mountain range suggests that the entire region was once submerged beneath a prehistoric ocean.”
Synonymspillow lava - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a block or piece of material used to support a heavy part of a machine.
n.a support block, often made of metal or wood, designed to equalize pressure or house a bearing.
Simple“The engineer checked the pillow block to make sure the shaft was spinning correctly.”
In context“The heavy-duty pillow block was engineered to withstand the immense vibrational forces generated by the industrial turbine.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to rest your head on something soft, as if it were a pillow.
v.to rest or support something as if on a pillow; often used transitively with the head as the object.
Simple“She pillowed her head on her arms and fell asleep at the desk.”
In context“The child pillowed his head against his mother's shoulder, finally finding peace after a long day of travel.”
From Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle, pylu (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *pulwī (“pillow”), from Latin pulvīnus (“cushion”), derived from pulvis (“dust, powder”) + -īnus (“-ine”), for the filler of a pillow. Doublet of pulvinus. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Peel (“pillow”), Alemannic German Pfulme (“pillow”), Dutch peluw (“a long, narrow pillow”), German Pfühl (“a big and soft pillow”), German Low German Pöhl (“pad, pillow, cushion”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.