cushion
American Heritage Dictionary:
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cush·ion
(kʊsh'ən) 
n.
n.
- A pad or pillow with a soft filling, used for resting, reclining, or kneeling.
- Something resilient used as a rest, support, or shock absorber.
- A mat placed or attached beneath carpeting to provide softness and increase durability.
- A padlike body part.
- Games. The rim bordering the playing surface of a billiard table.
- A pillow used in lacemaking.
- Something that mitigates or relieves an adverse effect: extra funds serving as a cushion against future inflation.
- To provide with a cushion: cushion a bench.
- To place or seat on a cushion.
- To cover or hide (something) with or as if with a cushion.
- To protect from impacts or other disturbing effects: an automobile suspension that cushions the ride.
- To mitigate the effects of; absorb the shock of: cushion a blow.
[Middle English cushin, from Old French coussin, from Vulgar Latin *coxīnum, from Latin coxa, hip.]
cushiony cush'ion·y adj.Barron's Banking Dictionary:
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Cushion
1. interval between the issue date of a security and the earliest Call Date. Also referred to as Call Protection also, the degree of protection given investors holding discount pool mortgage-backed securities, which are essentially Collateralized Mortgage Obligations backed by low-rate mortgages.
2. cushion bond-a bond with a high coupon selling at a price below what might be considered a market price. This occurs when a bond is trading at a high premium but is callable at a lower price. The call option holds down the market price, creating a cushion between the market price and what could justifiably be a higher price.
3. Function served by a reserve account, such as a bank's Loan Loss Reserves for possible bad debt.
1. A convex element resembling a pad.
2. A corbel for roofing, a padstone.
3. Padding, as around glass, to reduce the effects of vibration and abrasion.
4. A piece of timber acting as a cushion or buffer to resist or receive the force of another part of the framing; a cushion piece.
Word Tutor:
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cushion
IN BRIEF: A soft pad for sitting or leaning against. Also: anything that makes pain or worry less.
Cherish all your happy moments: they make a fine cushion for old age.
— Booth Tarkington (1869-1946).
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
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cushion
A term describing exceptional thickness of the upper lips or flews seen in some short-nosed breeds of dogs, e.g. Boxer, British bulldog.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'cushion'
- Linens and Fabrics - cushion: small, often decorative, covered pillow on which people sit, lie, or recline
- Pool and Billiards
See crossword solutions for the clue Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Cushion
For the architectural term, see Glossary of architecture#C.
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Look up cushion in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with pillow. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2012. |
A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften the hardness or angularity of a chair or couch.[1]
A cushion is also referred to as a bolster, hassock, headrest and a sham.[2]
Cushions and rugs can be used temporarily outside to soften a hard ground. They can be placed on sunloungers and used to prevent annoyances from moist grass and biting insects. Some dialects of English use this word to refer to throw pillows as well.
The cushion is a very ancient article of furniture; the inventories of the contents of palaces and great houses in the early Middle Ages constantly made mention of them. Cushions were then often of great size, covered with leather, and firm enough to serve as a seat, but the steady tendency of all furniture has been to grow smaller with time.
Cushions were, indeed, used as seats at all events in France and Spain at a very much later period, and in Saint-Simon's time we find that in the Spanish court they were still regarded as a peculiarly honourable substitute for a chair. In France, the right to kneel upon a cushion in church behind the king was jealously guarded and strictly regulated, as we learn again from Saint-Simon. This type of cushion was called a carreau, or square. When seats were rude and hard, cushions may have been a necessity; they are now one of the minor luxuries of life.
Decorative cushions are likely to have a fancy cover material which are patterned style and generally used to decorate furniture.
Etymology
The word cushion comes from Middle English cushin, from Old French coussin, from Vulgar Latin *coxnum, and from Latin coxa, hip.[3] The first known use of the word cushion was in the 14th century.[4]
See also
References
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cushion". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "Cushion". Merriam Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cushion. Retrieved 2012-20-05.
- ^ "Cushion". Thesaurus.com. http://thesaurus.com/browse/cushion+?s=t. Retrieved 2012-20-05.
- ^ "Cushion". The Free Dictionary By Farlex. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cushion. Retrieved 2012-20-05.
- ^ "Cushion". Merriam Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cushion. Retrieved 2012-20-05.
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Cushion
Dansk (Danish)
n. - pude, polstring, bande, luftpude, stråle
v. tr. - polstre, beskytte, afbøde, fortie, spille på banden, placere så den rører banden, nakke
Nederlands (Dutch)
stootkussen, band (biljart), (stoom)buffer, hoornstraal, van kussen (s) voorzien, beschermen, dempen, op een kussen zetten, in de doofpot stoppen, tegen de band stoten (biljart)
Français (French)
n. - coussin, (fig) garantie, bande (au billard)
v. tr. - amortir, protéger contre
Deutsch (German)
n. - Kissen, Polster, Bande
v. - dämpfen, schützen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μαξιλάρι (καθίσματος κ.λπ.), σπόντα μπιλιάρδου, μέσο μετριασμού (πληγμάτων κ.λπ.)
v. - τοποθετώ μαξιλάρι, (μτφ.) απαλύνω, αμβλύνω ή μετριάζω κραδασμούς κ.λπ., (μηχαν.) προσθέτω αντικραδασμική προστασία
Italiano (Italian)
imbottitura, cuscino, imbottire, attutire
Português (Portuguese)
n. - almofada (f), tabela (f) do bilhar
v. - almofadar
Русский (Russian)
диванная подушка, защита
Español (Spanish)
n. - amortiguador, cojín
v. tr. - amortiguar
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kudde, underlägg, valk, vall (bilj.), köttig del på skinka mm, fingerblomma, luftkudde (tekn.), stötdämpande tryck (tekn.)
v. - förse m kuddar/dynor, undertrycka, dämpa, utjämna, underlätta, dubblera (bilj.)
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
垫子, 靠垫, 坐垫, 垫状物, 加垫褥, 掩盖, 缓冲
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 墊子, 靠墊, 坐墊, 墊狀物
v. tr. - 加墊褥, 掩蓋, 緩衝
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 방석, 완충물, 위안물, 악화를 막는 것
v. tr. - 쿠션에 올려놓다, 완화하다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - クッション, 衝撃を緩和するもの, クッション状のもの
v. - クッションを備える, 和らげる
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) وسادة, مخدة (فعل) خفف شدة الأصطدام
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - כר, מונע-זעזועים
v. tr. - ריכך, הפחית, ריפד
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Dictionary of Banking Terms. Copyright © 2006 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.
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