Cushion \Cush"ion\ (k??sh"?n), n. [OE. cuischun, quisshen, OF.
coissin, cuissin, F. coussin, fr. (assumed) LL. culcitinum,
dim. of L. culcita cushion, mattress, pillow. See Quilt,
and cf. Counterpoint a coverlet.]
1. A case or bag stuffed with some soft and elastic material,
and used to sit or recline upon; a soft pillow or pad.
Two cushions stuffed with straw, the seat to raise.
--Dryden.
2. Anything resembling a cushion in properties or use; as:
(a) a pad on which gilders cut gold leaf;
(b) a mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam
engine to receive the impact of the piston;
(c) the elastic edge of a billiard table.
3. A riotous kind of dance, formerly common at weddings; --
called also cushion dance. --Halliwell.
Cushion capital.(Arch.) A capital so sculptured as to
appear like a cushion pressed down by the weight of its
entablature.
(b) A name given to a form of capital, much used in the
Romanesque style, modeled like a bowl, the upper part
of which is cut away on four sides, leaving vertical
faces.
Cushion star (Zo["o]l.) a pentagonal starfish belonging to
Goniaster, Astrogonium, and other allied genera; -- so
called from its form.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|