— cushionless , adj. — cushionlike , adj.
/koosh"euhn/ , n.
1. a soft bag of cloth, leather, or rubber, filled with feathers, air, foam rubber, etc., on which to sit, kneel, or lie.
2. anything similar in form, used to dampen shocks or to prevent excessive pressure or chafing.
3. something to absorb or counteract a shock, jar, or jolt, as a body of air or steam.
4. something that lessens the effects of hardship, distress, or the like: His inheritance was a cushion against unemployment.
5. Anat. , Zool. any part or structure resembling a cushion.
6. the resilient raised rim encircling the top of a billiard table.
7. a pad worn under the hair by women.
8. a portion of a radio or television script that can be adjusted in length or cut out altogether in order to end the program on time.
9. Ice Hockey , Canadian. the iced surface of a rink.
10. a pillow used in lacemaking.
11. a leather pad on which gold leaf is placed preparatory to gilding.
v.t.
12. to place on or support by a cushion.
13. to furnish with a cushion or cushions.
14. to cover or conceal with, or as if with, a cushion.
15. to lessen or soften the effects of: to cushion the blow to his pride.
16. to suppress (complaints, lamentations, etc.) by quietly ignoring.
17. to check the motion of (a piston or the like) by a cushion, as of steam.
18. to form (steam or the like) into a cushion.
[ 1300-50; ME cuisshin coussin cox ( a ) hip + - inus -INE 1 ; see COXA ]
Syn. 1. pad. CUSHION, PILLOW, BOLSTER agree in being cases filled with a material more or less resilient, intended to be used as supports for the body or parts of it. A CUSHION is a soft pad used to sit, lie, or kneel on, or to lean against: cushions on a sofa; cushions on pews in a church. A PILLOW is a bag or case filled with feathers, down, or other soft material, usually to support the head: to sleep with a pillow under one's head. A BOLSTER is a firm pillow, long enough to extend the width of a bed and used as head support, with or without a pillow. 3. shock absorber.