pillow

Meaning

1. A soft cushion used to support the head in bed.
2. Any similar head support used for sleep, such as a neck pillow or a hard porcelain pillow.
3. A pillow lava.
4. A piece of metal or wood, forming a support to equalize pressure; a brass; a pillow block.
5. A block under the inner end of a bowsprit.
6. The socket of a pivot.
7. A kind of plain, coarse fustian.

cushion

block of wood

head-rest

feather tick

bed pillow

pulvinar

shaft bearing

base seat

case of fit

rail bearing

shafting bearing

mechanical bearing

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɪləʊ/

Inherited from Middle English

Inherited from Old English

In summary

From Middle English pilwe, from Old English pylwe, pylu, pyle (“pillow”), from Proto-West Germanic *pulwī (“pillow”), from Latin pulvīnus (“cushion”), derived from pulvis (“dust, powder”) + -īnus (“-ine”), for the filler of a pillow. Doublet of pulvinus.

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