cushion
noun
[ ˈkʊʃ(ə)n ]
• a bag of cloth stuffed with a mass of soft material, used as a comfortable support for sitting or leaning on.
• "comfortable chairs and sofas piled with cushions"
Similar:
pillow,
bolster,
headrest,
scatter cushion,
floor cushion,
beanbag,
booster cushion,
squab,
hassock,
kneeler,
mat,
pillion,
zabuton,
• something providing support or protection against impact.
• "underlay forms a cushion between carpet and floor"
cushion
verb
• soften the effect of an impact on.
• "the bag cushions equipment from inevitable knocks"
• mitigate the adverse effects of.
• "to cushion the blow, wages and pensions were increased"
Similar:
soften,
lessen,
diminish,
decrease,
mitigate,
temper,
allay,
alleviate,
reduce the effect of,
take the edge off,
dull,
blunt,
deaden,
absorb,
muffle,
stifle,
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French cuissin, based on a Latin word meaning ‘cushion for the hip’, from coxa ‘hip, thigh’. The Romans also had a word cubital ‘elbow cushion’, from cubitus ‘elbow’.
