Mattress
A mattress is a mat or pad, usually placed on top of a bed, upon which to sleep or lie.
The word mattress is derived from Arabic words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages.
Though a mattress may be placed directly on the floor, it is usually placed on top of a bed base to be farther from the ground. The bed base may be solid, as in the case of a platform bed, or elastic, e.g. with a metal box-spring or a slatted foundation). Flexible bed bases can prolong the life of the mattress.
Historically, mattresses have been filled with a variety of natural materials, including straw and feathers. Modern mattresses usually contain either an inner spring core or materials such as latex, viscoelastic, or other polyurethane-type foams. Mattresses may also be filled with air or water, or a variety of natural fibers, such as in futons.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Mattress ]
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