Etymology

mattress

M3A1T1T1R1E1S1S1

Today it means: A pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed with cloth fabric. Full definition →

Middle English materas ← Old French matras ← Arabic مَطْرَح (maṭraḥ)
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The story

  1. Arabicطَرَحَ (ṭaraḥa)
  2. Arabicمَطْرَح (maṭraḥ)
  3. Old Frenchmatras
  4. Middle Englishmateras
  5. English todaymattress

From Middle English materas, from Old French matras, 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 from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.