cushion

[koo sh-uh n] /ˈkʊʃ ən/
noun
1.
a soft bag of cloth, leather, or rubber, filled with feathers, air, foam rubber, etc., on which to sit, kneel, or lie.
2.
anything similar in form, used to dampen shocks or to prevent excessive pressure or chafing.
3.
something to absorb or counteract a shock, jar, or jolt, as a body of air or steam.
4.
something that lessens the effects of hardship, distress, or the like:
His inheritance was a cushion against unemployment.
5.
Anatomy, Zoology. any part or structure resembling a cushion.
6.
the resilient raised rim encircling the top of a billiard table.
7.
a pad worn under the hair by women.
8.
a portion of a radio or television script that can be adjusted in length or cut out altogether in order to end the program on time.
9.
Ice Hockey, Canadian. the iced surface of a rink.
10.
a pillow used in lacemaking.
11.
a leather pad on which gold leaf is placed preparatory to gilding.
verb (used with object)
12.
to place on or support by a cushion.
13.
to furnish with a cushion or cushions.
14.
to cover or conceal with, or as if with, a cushion.
15.
to lessen or soften the effects of:
to cushion the blow to his pride.
16.
to suppress (complaints, lamentations, etc.) by quietly ignoring.
17.
to check the motion of (a piston or the like) by a cushion, as of steam.
18.
to form (steam or the like) into a cushion.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English cuisshin < Anglo-French; Middle French coussin ≪ Latin cōx(a) hip + -īnus -ine1; see coxa
Related forms
cushionless, adjective
cushionlike, adjective
uncushioned, adjective
well-cushioned, adjective
Synonyms
1. pad. Cushion, pillow, bolster agree in being cases filled with a material more or less resilient, intended to be used as supports for the body or parts of it. A cushion is a soft pad used to sit, lie, or kneel on, or to lean against: cushions on a sofa; cushions on pews in a church. A pillow is a bag or case filled with feathers, down, or other soft material, usually to support the head: to sleep with a pillow under one's head. A bolster is a firm pillow, long enough to extend the width of a bed and used as head support, with or without a pillow. 3. shock absorber.
Examples from the web for cushion
  • He wanted to create some cushion to protect the college against unanticipated revenue shortfalls or cost overruns.
  • Anyway, the whole point of reserves is to have a cushion to protect against losses.
  • These cushion and protect skin from friction, allowing time for corns and calluses to diminish in size.
  • Capital ratios are supposed to measure a bank's cushion against losses.
  • In an environment of low interest rates and low investment returns, there is little to rebuild insurers' capital cushion.
  • As you walk, you notice the softness created by the thick cushion of needles.
  • It's used in carpet padding and cushion foam, and it's being found in house dust.
  • For instance, a running shoe should especially cushion the forefoot, while tennis shoes should emphasize ankle support.
  • Such feet also feature natural shock absorbers to cushion the stress of walking upright.
  • Compact dwarf or cushion types make tidy edgings, mounds of color in rock gardens, good container plants.
British Dictionary definitions for cushion

cushion

/ˈkʊʃən/
noun
1.
a bag made of cloth, leather, plastic, etc, filled with feathers, air, or other yielding substance, used for sitting on, leaning against, etc
2.
something resembling a cushion in function or appearance, esp one to support or pad or to absorb shock
3.
the resilient felt-covered rim of a billiard table
4.
another name for pillow (sense 2)
5.
short for air cushion
6.
a capital, used in Byzantine, Romanesque, and Norman architecture, in the form of a bowl with a square top
verb (transitive)
7.
to place on or as on a cushion
8.
to provide with cushions
9.
to lessen or suppress the effects of
10.
to protect, esp against hardship or change
11.
  1. to check the motion of (a mechanism) gently, esp by the compression of trapped fluid in a cylinder
  2. to provide with a means of absorbing shock
Derived Forms
cushiony, adjective
Word Origin
from Latin culcita mattress
Word Origin and History for cushion
n.

c.1300, from Old French coissin "seat cushion" (12c., Modern French coussin), probably a variant of Vulgar Latin *coxinum, from Latin coxa "hip, thigh," or from Latin culcita "mattress." Someone has counted more than 400 spellings of the plural of this word in Middle English wills and inventories. Also from the French word are Italian cuscino, Spanish cojin.

v.

1730s, from cushion (n.). In the figurative sense, from 1863. Related: Cushioned; cushioning.

cushion in Medicine

cushion cush·ion (kush'ən)
n.
A padlike body part.

Slang definitions & phrases for cushion

cushion

noun
  1. One of the bases in baseball; bag (1940s+)
  2. Anything, esp money, kept as a safeguard against hard times: He kept one bank account just as a cushion (1950s+)
Related Terms

the keystone, whoopee cushion