Hypertext Webster Gateway: "mattress"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Mattress \Mat"tress\, n. [OF. materas, F. matelas, LL.
matratium; cf. Sp. & Pg. almadraque, Pr. almatrac; all from
Ar. ma[.t]rah a place where anything is thrown, what is
thrown under something, fr. [.t]araha to throw.]
1. A quilted bed; a bed stuffed with hair, moss, or other
suitable material, and quilted or otherwise fastened.
[Written also {matress}.]
2. (Hydraulic Engin.) A mass of interwoven brush, poles,
etc., to protect a bank from being worn away by currents
or waves.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
mattress
n : a large thick pad filled with resilient material and often
incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or part of a
bed
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