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fu·ton

(ftŏn)

A thin mattress of tufted cotton batting or similar material, placed on a floor or on a raised, foldable frame.

[Japanese, ultimately (although the first syllable is now written with the kanji for fu, cloth) from early Mandarin p^hu´ t^hɔn´, a kind of mat (Modern Mandarin pútuán, cushion made from rushes, hassock made from cattails) : p^hu´, rushes, reeds, aquatic grasses (such as those used for bedding, for example) (from Middle Chinese pɦuə̆) + t^hɔn´, round, to roll into a ball (from Middle Chinese tɦuan).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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