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pil·low

(pĭlō)

1. A cloth case stuffed with something soft, such as down, feathers, or foam rubber, used to cushion a part of the body, especially the head during sleep.

2. A decorative cushion.

3. The pad on which bobbin lace is made.

v. pil·lowed, pil·low·ing, pil·lows

v.tr.

1. To rest (one's head) on or as if on a pillow.

2. To serve as a pillow for: Grass pillowed my head.

v.intr.

1. To rest on or as if on a pillow.

2. To assume the shape of a pillow.

[Middle English, from Old English pyle, pylu, pylw-, from West Germanic *pulwī, from Latin pulvīnus.]

pillow·y adj.

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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