The word mattress comes from the Arabic word matrah, meaning a place where something is thrown down. The word travelled into European languages through medieval trade and contact, becoming materasso in Italian, materas in French, and eventually mattress in English.
The word mattress is usually traced back to the Arabic matrah. It comes from a root meaning to throw or cast down, so matrah referred to a place where something was thrown down or laid down.
In a bedding sense, this became associated with a mat, cushion or place for reclining.
Key points:
Mattress comes from Arabic
The root meaning is linked to throwing or laying something down
The original sense was a place where something was placed or spread
The word moved into European languages during the medieval period, helped by trade, travel and cultural contact around the Mediterranean.
It appeared in Italian as materasso and in French as materas before becoming mattress in English.
Key points:
The word passed through Mediterranean languages
Italian and French helped shape the modern English form
The spelling changed as the word moved between languages
The origin still fits the modern object. A mattress is something laid down as a sleeping surface, originally much simpler than today’s sprung, foam or hybrid designs.
Before modern beds, people often slept on stuffed sacks, mats, cushions, straw-filled bedding or layered textiles placed on the floor or on a frame.
Key points:
The original meaning still connects to bedding
Early mattresses were much simpler than modern ones
The word has kept its basic sense: something laid down to sleep on