Into The History of Beds

The word “mattress” comes from Arabian and is derived from “ma”, meaning bedding or pillow, and “trah”, meaning “to throw (myself)”. The resulting word meant a place where pillows have been thrown around, so you can lie down. During the crusades the knights adopted some aspects of the Arabians’ life, including some of the luxuries. They began to sleep on pillows placed on the floor, and the word entered the Latin languages as “materas” (old English), “materasso” (old Italian), and “matracium” (Latin).

Although mattresses can be placed directly on the floor, they are usually used on a raised platform, which can be soft (with springs) or hard (a frame). In the past mattresses were filled with different natural materials, including straw, leaves, grass, feathers, or fluff. Today’s mattresses are made from a spring pack core, or latex, or viscoelastic, or countless other materials such as polyurethane foam, water or air.