noun
Origin: ME materas < OFr < It materasso < Ar maṭraḥ, place where something is thrown or laid, cushion
See mattress in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Middle English mattresse
Origin: , from Old French materas
Origin: , from Old Italian materasso
Origin: and from Medieval Latin matracium
Origin: , both from Arabic maṭraḥ, place where something is thrown, mat, cushion
Origin: , from ṭaraḥa, to throw; see ṭrḥ in Semitic roots
. Word History: The history of the word mattress is a small lesson in the way amenities have come to Europe from the Middle East. During the earlier part of the Middle Ages, Arabic culture was more advanced than that of Europe. One of the amenities of life enjoyed by the Arabs was sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor. Derived from the Arabic word ṭaraḥa, “to throw,” the word maṭraḥ meant “place where something is thrown” and “mat, cushion.” This kind of sleeping surface was adopted by the Europeans during the Crusades, and the Arabic word was taken into Old Italian (materasso) and then into Old French (materas), from which comes the Middle English word materas, first recorded in a work written around 1300. The Arabic word also became Medieval Latin matracium, another source of our word.Learn more about mattress