méridienne

noun

An asymmetrical daybed with a high head-rest, and a lower foot-rest, joined by a sloping piece.

Meanings

nounméridienne (plural méridiennes)

plural méridiennes · alternative meridienne

  1. An asymmetrical daybed with a high head-rest, and a lower foot-rest, joined by a sloping piece.

    Silk velvet on the méridiennes is from Manuel Canovas; Clarence House fabric covers the sofa and front of fauteuils.

    1990, Architectural Digest, page 260
    2 more examples

    Méridiennes have sold for up to $19,000 a pair, a bid posted at Morton’s. “Méridiennes such as that one are the rare pieces that bring top dollar,” says Phillip Alford, Morton’s nineteenth-century furniture expert.

    1981, Americana, page 24, column 2

    This, too, has now been restored and reupholstered, and the unusual pair of méridiennes (short daybeds) will be installed on either side of the mantlepiece in the upstairs hall.

    1990, Museum Notes, page 23

Origin

  1. Frenchméridienne
  2. Englishméridienne

From French méridienne, feminine of méridien (“meridian; noon (attributive)”), from its typical use: rest in the middle of the day, when the sun is near the meridian.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

méridienne. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/m%C3%A9ridienne

MLA

“méridienne.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/m%C3%A9ridienne. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “méridienne,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/m%C3%A9ridienne.

Source: méridienne on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.