Meanings
plural méridiennes · alternative meridienne
- 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 2602 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 2This, 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
- Frenchméridienne
- 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.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
méridienne. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/m%C3%A9ridienne
“méridienne.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/m%C3%A9ridienne. Accessed November 5, 2026.
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.