Webster's English Dictionary

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mattress

mat.tress \'ma-tr*s\ n [ME materas, fr. OF, fr. Ar matrah place where 
   something is thrown] 1a: a fabric case filled with resilent material used 
   either alone as a bed  or on a bedstead 1b: an inflatable airtight sack for 
   use as a mattress  2: a mass of interwoven brush and poles to protect a 
   bank from erosion;  also : a similar mass serving as a foundation in soft 
   ground