a large flat pad with a strong cover, filled with straw, foam rubber, etc, and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or as part of a bed - Also called: Dutch mattress
a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footing
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mat•tress
(ma′tris),USA pronunciation n.
- a large pad for supporting the reclining body, used as or on a bed, consisting of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, that contains hair, straw, cotton, foam rubber, etc., or a framework of metal springs.
- See air mattress.
- a mat woven of brush, poles, or similar material, used to prevent erosion of the surface of dikes, jetties, embankments, dams, etc.
- Buildinga layer of concrete placed on bare ground, as to provide a footing;
mat. - a layer of any material used to cushion, protect, reinforce, or the like.
- Arabic maṭraḥ mat, cushion
- Italian materasso
- Old French
- Middle English materas 1250–1300
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