different between cushion vs upholster

English

Etymology

From Middle English cusshon, cuschen, quesshon, from later Old French coissin (modern coussin), from Vulgar Latin *cox?nus (“seat pad”), derived from Latin coxa (“hip, thigh”) with the suffix possibly after Latin pulv?nus (“pillow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k???n/
• Rhymes: -???n

Noun

cushion (countable and uncountable, plural cushions)

1. A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support; for sitting on, kneeling on, resting one's head on etc.
2. Something acting as a cushion, especially to absorb a shock or impact.
   1. A pad on which gilders cut gold leaf.
   2. A mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam engine to receive the impact of the piston.
   4. (sports, billiards, snooker, pool) The lip around a table in cue sports which absorbs some of the impact of the billiard balls and bounces them back.
   5. The pillow used in making bone lace.
   6. An engraver's pad.
   7. (historical) The rubber of an electrical machine.
   8. (historical) A pad supporting a woman's hair.
3. (figuratively) a sufficient quantity of an intangible object (like points or minutes) to allow for some of those points, for example, to be lost without hurting one's chances for successfully completing an objective.
   1. (finance, countable, uncountable) Money kept in reserve.
      • 2007, Belverd Needles, Marian Powers, Financial Accounting: Media Enhanced (page 826)

        Interest coverage is important because it is an indicator of how much cushion a company has in making its interest payments.

      • 2013, Stijn Claessens, Kirsten Forbes, International Financial Contagion (page 85)

        If one of the banks has a significant enough cushion of capital and a strong enough balance sheet, then it would not experience a bank run, and the domino effect in panel A would not have occurred.

4. (obsolete) A riotous dance, formerly common at weddings.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

Descendants

Translations

See also

• pillow
• squab

Verb

cushion (third-person singular simple present cushions, present participle cushioning, simple past and past participle cushioned)

1. To furnish with cushions.

   to cushion a sofa

2. To seat or place on, or as on a cushion.
   • 1734, Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, A Dissertation on Parties

     How many doughty monarchs, in later and more polite ages, would have slept in cottages, and have worked in falls, instead of inhabiting palaces, and being cushioned up in thrones, if this rule of government had continued in force ?

3. To absorb or deaden the impact of.

   to cushion a blow

   • 1903, Edward Porritt, "Poynings' Law", The Unreformed House of Commons Vol.II p.429 (CUP):

     the development of popular interest in Parliament made it less possible for the Privy Council in Dublin to cushion a bill which the Commons had presented to the Lord Lieutenant

4. To conceal or cover up, as under a cushion.

Translations

References

English

Etymology

Back-formation from upholsterer (“tradesman who finishes furniture”), from Middle English upholdester, from Middle English upholder (“dealer in small goods”), from upholden (“to repair, uphold”); equivalent to uphold +? -ster.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??p?l.st?(?)/, /??p?l.st?(?)/

Verb

upholster (third-person singular simple present upholsters, present participle upholstering, simple past and past participle upholstered)

1. (transitive) To fit padding, stuffing, springs, webbing and fabric covering to (furniture).

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

upholster (plural upholsters)

1. (archaic) An upholsterer; a tradesman who finishes furniture.

Anagrams

• throuples