Arabic exportsEveryday life

mattress

Arabic maṭraḥ meant 'a place where something is thrown down', a floor cushion; crusaders and Mediterranean traders brought the padded bed and its name to Europe through Sicily, and it went on through French into Middle High German and Dutch, from German to Sweden and from Dutch to Russia, while English mattress reached Japan.

Weakest linkProbable

The road to English

From Arabic to Italian

From Old French to Middle High German, German

From Arabic to Old Spanish

From German to Swedish

From Arabic to Old Portuguese

From Old French to French

From Old French to Dutch, Russian

From English to Japanese

800 CEArabic

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.

mattress

Weakest linkProbable

The road to English

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