futon
Pronunciation: /ˈfuːtɒn/
The English word “futon” has 3 meanings listed here.
noun
- A thin mattress of tufted cotton or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame as a bed.
- A round cushion used for Zen meditation, traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves.
- A specific kind of sofa-bed, with a fixed cushion that forms a mattress when folded down and a sofa when folded up.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 布団 (futon), in turn from Middle Chinese 蒲團 (MC bu dwan, “meditation cushion”) (compare Mandarin 蒲团 (pútuán)), from 蒲 (bu, “bulrush, cattail”) + 團 (dwan, “sphere, round object”) from the way the original cushion was round and made from woven bulrushes.
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