FUTON

noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) A low-slung Japanese-style bed or mattress. Etymology: A direct borrowing from Japanese, in which it traditionally refers to a bed-quilt or thin cotton mattress which is laid on a mat on the floor overnight, and may be rolled up and put away during the day. History and Usage: The word has been used in descriptions of Japanese culture since the end of the last century, but the present Western application dates from the early 1980s. The futon as marketed in the West may include a slatted wooden base which stands only a few inches from the floor, is often capable of conversion into a sofa for day-time use, and usually includes a stuffed cotton mattress similar to the Japanese version. They fall onto the stripped-pine futon. Artseen Dec. 1986, p. 19 Slatted bases are often used in traditional bedstead designs and low line beds such as futons. Daily Mail DIY Home Interiors 1988, p. 112