n.
Pronunciation: ' ma-tr ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English materas, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin materacium, from Arabic ma ṭ ra ḥ place where something is thrown
Date: 14th century
1 a : a fabric case filled with resilient material (as cotton, hair, feathers, foam rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs) used either alone as a bed or on a bedstead b : an inflatable airtight sack for use as a mattress
2 : a device (as of interwoven brush and poles) used to protect a shoreline, bank, or streambed from erosion