| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
mattress (ˈmætrɪs) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a large flat pad with a strong cover, filled with straw, foam rubber, etc, and often incorporating coiled springs, used as a bed or as part of a bed |
| 2. | Also called: Dutch mattress a woven mat of brushwood, poles, etc, used to protect an embankment, dyke, etc, from scour |
| 3. | Sometimes shortened to: mat a concrete or steel raft or slab used as a foundation or footing |
| 4. | a network of reinforcing rods or expanded metal sheeting, used in reinforced concrete |
| 5. | civil engineering another name for blinding |
| [C13: via Old French from Italian materasso, from Arabic almatrah place where something is thrown] | |