▪ I. pillow, n.
(ˈpɪləʊ)
Forms: see below.
[OE. pyle, pylu:—*pulwi = MDu. pöluwe (puluwe), pēluwe neut., ? fem., Du. peluw, peuluw fem.; MLG. pöle, LG. pöl masc.; OHG. pfuliwi neut., pfulwo masc., MHG. pfülwe neut., pfulwe masc., Oberd. pfulbe, pfulwe, Ger. pfühl masc., neut. These forms represent a WG. *pulwî(n, a. L. pulvīn-us cushion, which, from the phonology, must have been adopted by the Germani as early as the 2nd or 3rd c.
The normal development in OE. would be nom. *pulwi, puli, pyle, gen. *pulwes, pylwes. Form-levelling gave from pylwes a new nom. pylu, whence ME. pilwe, mod. pillow; pyle was inflected pyles, and remained as ME. pyle, pile, pele, mod. dial. pill, peel. (See Napier in Mod. Lang. Quarterly 1897 Nov. 52.)]
A. Illustration of Forms.
(α) 1–6 pyle, 4–5 pile, pule, 9 dial. pill.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. v. xi. §1 Mon..dyde ælces consules setl ane pyle hierre þonne hit ær wæs. c 1000 ælfric Gram. ix. (Z.) 38 Cervical, pyle. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 421 Under his pelewe [MS. β. pile; γ. pule; Caxton pyle]. 1502 Privy Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830) 65 For making of a pyle cloth. 1886 Elworthy W. Som. Word-bk. s.v. Pill, I never can't zlape way a soft pill. |
(
β) 4
pele, 6
pelle, 8–9
peel.
| 13.. S. Eng. Leg. (MS. Bodl. 779) in Herrig Archiv LXXXII. 318/454 Nold he non oþer pele to legge his heued vppon. 1553 Inv. Ch. Goods Staffs. in Ann. Lichfield (1863) IV. 45 Itm. ij stolles, v fannes, xij pelles, ij chesables. 1746 Exmoor Courtship 428 (E.D.S.) Darning up of old blonkets, and rearting tha Peels. 1825 Jennings Obs. Dial. W. Eng. 170 Tha..gee me stra vor bed an peel! |
(
γ) 1
pylu, 4–5
pilewe,
pilwe, 5
pylwe,
pilowe,
-ow, (
pilwo,
pilve,
pyliwe,
pilou,
pilu), 5–6
pylow(e,
pyllow(e,
pillowe, (
pillo(e,
pilo, 6–7
pilla), 6–
pillow.
| a 1100 in Napier O.E. Glosses 198/4 Ceruical, pylu. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 395 (444), He tornede on his pylwes [v.rr. pilwis, pilous] ofte. Ibid. v. 224 Saue a pilwe [v.r. pilwo] I fynde nought tenbrace. 1382 Wyclif Mark iv. 38 He was..slepynge on a pilewe. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 760 Vnder his pilwe [v.rr. pilowe, pylow]. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 12 To rowne with a pylow me semyd best tryacle. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 399/1 Pylwe (P. pyllowe), pulvinar. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxx. 290 On sich pilus I me set. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 23 A greet pilve and a small pilve. 1482 Nottingham Rec. II. 322, v. pillois cum uno bolster. 1500 Ibid. III. 74, iij pillowes valent vjd. 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Chirurg. L iv, Called plumeceaulx or pylowes of fethers in frenche. 1573 etc. Pillow [see B. 1 b]. |
(
δ) 4–5
pelewe, 5
pelouhe, 5–6
pelowe,
pelow,
pelloe, 6
pellow,
pelo.
| c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 254 (MS. Fairf.) Many a pelowe [v.r. pilow] and euery bere Of clothe of raynes. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 421 Under his pelewe [1432–50 tr. Higden pelowe]. c 1400 Destr. Troy 12613 Pres it to þe pelow. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 29 Thus may thi man at thi pelouhe appere. c 1485 E.E. Misc. (Warton Cl.) 18 Thy lusty pellois. 1526 Tindale Mark iv. 38 A slepe on a pelowe. 1532 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 34 A blankett, a boulster, a pellow. 1536 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 135 A coverlet, pelloe, and tester. a 1544 Lanc. Wills (1860) II. 152, ij pelo berys. 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 14 b, Take a heade pelow. |
B. Signification.
1. a. A support for the head in sleeping or reclining;
spec. a cushion or case made of linen or the like, stuffed with feathers, down, or other soft material; especially as forming part of a bed.
Also applied to the bamboo or rattan frame, the block of wood with a concave or crescent-shaped top, etc., used by the natives of various countries, and to any object improvised for the same purpose.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xix. 143 Wa ðæm þe willað under ælcne elnboᵹan lecgean pyle & bolster under ælcne hneccan. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 226 Leᵹe him, nytendum, under his pyle. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 103 Upon a fethrebed alofte He lith with many a pilwe of doun. 1474 Caxton Chesse 21 She put in a pelowe of fethers a serteyn somme of money. 1480 ― Chron. Eng. v. (1520) 67/1 They put on his mouth a pilowe and stopped his breth. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. V 2 b, He caused hym self to bee raised vp with pillowes. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. iv. 55 That hath laid Kniues vnder his Pillow. 1611 Bible Gen. xxviii. 18 And Iacob..tooke the stone that hee had put for his pillowes [Coverd. that he had layed vnder his heade] and set it vp for a pillar. 1762 Goldsm. Cit. W. xiii, In that chair the Kings of England were crowned; you see also a stone underneath, and that stone is Jacob's pillow. 1765 H. Walpole Let. to Earl of Hertford 7 Apr., They flung pillows upon the question, and stifled it. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 619 It will be very difficult to get a man from his pillow..if he has nothing to do when he is up. 1809 Med. Jrnl. XXI. 318 The limb being supported by pillows in a relaxed position. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xi. 71 Placing my bag for a pillow, he lay down. 1866 J. Martineau Ess. I. 64 Coleridge..slept with the Observations on Man under his pillow. 1884 Sir H. Johnston River Congo xvi. 432 Many pretty little things are carved in wood:—pillows or head⁓rests are made, much like those used by the ancient Egyptians. |
b. Phrase.
to take counsel of, or consult with, one's pillow, etc.: to take a night to consider a matter of importance; to ‘sleep upon’ it.
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 21 You counsel me to take counsel of mi pillow. 1633 Battle of Lutzen in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) IV. 197 [The Polonians] took counsel of the pillow, and..concluded to come to a treaty. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 60 ¶1 [He] frequently consulted his Pillow to know how to behave himself on such important Occasions. 1800 Proc. E. Ind. Ho. in Asiat. Ann. Reg. 68/2 They contained surmises and circumstances of such a nature, that he should carry it with him to his pillow. |
c. In various figurative uses.
| c 1440 Jacob's Well 114 Slowthe makyth þe þe restyng place of þe deuyl, for þou art þe feendys pylwe. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. v. iii. 163 [He] Sung thee asleepe, his Louing Brest, thy Pillow. 1667 J. Flavel Saint Indeed (1754) 38 That soft pillow of creature-delights on which thou restedst before. 1771 Junius Lett. l. (1820) 261 You are the pillow upon which I am determined to rest all my resentments. 1817 Wolfe Burial Sir J. Moore v, As we..smoothed down his lonely pillow. 1889 Sat. Rev. 6 Apr. 414/2 He took it for granted that nobles and gentlemen who lived about the Court should one day lay their heads upon a bloody pillow. |
d. Phrase.
to sew pillows under people's elbows (etc.): to give a sense of false security.
| 1382 Wyclif Ezek. xiii. 18 Woo to hem that sewen to gidre cusshens vndir eche cubit of hoond, and maken pilewis vnder the heed of eche age, for to take soulis. 1560 Bible (Genev.) ibid., Woe vnto the women that sowe pillowes vnder all arme holes. 1572 in Neal Hist. Purit. (1732) I. 285 'Tis no time to blanch or sew pillars under mens elbows. 1620 J. King Serm. 24 Mar. 45 When I come to reprove sinne, I shall sowe no pillowes. 1672 Wycherley Love in Wood i. i, No, Mrs. Joyner, you cannot sew pillows under folks' elbows;..you cannot tickle a trout to take him. |
† 2. A cushion.
Obs.| c 1440 [see A. γ]. 1466 in Archæologia (1887) L. i. 42 Item j pyllow of rede whyte and yollowe clothe of sylke w{supt} ymages and birdes. 1522 Bury Wills (Camden) 115 To the chyrche of Pakenham a pelow of blew sylke. 1566 Eng. Ch. Furniture (1866) 118 Item one litle pillowe which was accustomed to be laid vpon the altare. 1573–80 Baret Alv. P 374 A pillowe, or cushin, puluinar. |
3. Applied to something padded; a pad.
a. The pad of a saddle; a pillion.
| 1607 Markham Caval. ii. (1617) 258 When you haue placed..both your knees hard and firme vnder each of the fore-Pillowes of the Saddle. 1651 Miller of Mansf. 15 With pillows and Pannells. 1895 Wales Apr. 179/1 Went to yearly meeting at Hereford with a few others, Molly Lloyd riding on pillow behind him. |
b. A padded or stuffed support or ground upon which bone-lace is made.
| 1781 Cowper Truth 318 Yon cottager, who weaves at her own door, Pillow and bobbins all her little store. 1864 Spectator 1446 The manner of making pillow lace... The ‘pillow’ is a round or oval board, stuffed so as to form a cushion, and placed upon the knees of the workwoman. |
c. U.S. slang. A boxing-glove.
| 1894 Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 443/1 Piled on a little table were four as dirty and badly-stained ‘pillows’ as I had ever set eyes on. |
4. In various technical applications: A block or support resembling a pillow in form or use:
spec. a. Naut. The block of timber on which the inner end of a bowsprit rests.
b. The ‘truck’ or circular piece of wood or metal fixed on the head of a pole or mast.
c. Arch. (See
quots.)
d. A cross-piece of wood which supports the beam of a plough or the bed of a wagon:
cf. bolster n.1 3 a, e.
e. Mech. A bearing of brass or bronze for the journal of a shaft.
f. The socket of a pivot (Knight
Dict. Mech. 1875).
| 1446 Yatton Churchw. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.) 84 It. payd for fellyng of a brasen pelewe for worspryng. 1474–5 in Swayne Sarum Churchw. Acc. (1896) 20 It' in castynge of pelewes for the iij grettyst bellys xis. |
| a. 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 12 The boule spret, the pillow, the sturrop, the spret sayle. 1627 ― Seaman's Gram. iii. 16. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. xv. (Roxb.) 36/2 The Pillow is that tymber on which the bolt-sprit beares at the coming out of the hull called the pillow of the bolt-sprit. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Couche, the pillow of a stay, or the piece of wood upon which it rests. |
| b. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iv. 154 Then hoysing him vp to the pillow or top of the tree, they let the rope flee loose, whence downe he falles. |
| c. 1664 Evelyn tr. Freart's Archit. 128 The Return [of the Volute] or Pillow betwixt the Abacus and Echinus resembles the side-plaited tresses of Women's haire. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I. s.v. Voluta, These Voluta's are more especially remarkable in the Ionick Capital, representing a kind of Pillow or Cushion laid between the Abacus and the Echinus. 1842–76 Gwilt Archit. Gloss., Volute, a spiral scroll which forms the principal feature of the capital of the Ionic order... The returns or sides are called pulvinata or pillows. |
| d. 1733 Tull Horse-Hoeing Husb. xxi. 301 Two Rows of Holes, whereby to raise or sink the Beam, by pinning up or down the Pillow..to increase or diminish the Depth of the Furrow. 1764 Museum Rust. I. cxiii. 479 A pin..through the fore bed, about one foot behind the upper pillow,..the other through the under pillow. 1813 T. Davis Agric. Wilts Gloss. 263 Parts of a Waggon..; Peel, the pillow over the axle. |
| e. 1814 R. Buchanan Millwork (1823) 547 The bearings on which gudgeons and journals rest and revolve, are sometimes termed pillows and frequently brasses. |
5. A kind of plain fustian.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 537 The common fustian..is known by the name of pillow. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Pillow,..a kind of fustian having a four-leaved twill. |
6. Geol. A body of rock,
esp. lava, likened to a pillow or filled sack in shape and
usu. occurring with other similar bodies.
Cf. pillow lava,
structure below.
| [1890 Q. Jrnl. Geol. Soc. XLVI. 312 The structure is more commonly irregular, the masses resembling pillows or soft cushions pressed upon and against one another.] 1899 Summary of Progress Geol. Survey U.K. 1898 108 It shows the ‘pillow’ structure already referred to, some of the ‘pillows’ being a yard or more in diameter. 1944 C. A. Cotton Volcanoes xv. 290 Lava pillows are commonly three to four feet in diameter. 1955 Longwell & Flint Introd. Physical Geol. v. 72 We conclude that pillows result from immersion of hot lava in water. 1962 E. A. Vincent tr. Rittmann's Volcanoes ii. 71 The freshly formed pillows are in effect bladders filled with still-fluid lava, which roll down..and pile up one above the other. 1971 I. G. Gass et al. Understanding Earth xxi. 302/2 Being erupted under water, the lava flows tend to segregate and to form accumulations of sub-cylindrical bodies called pillows. |
7. attrib. and
Comb., as
pillow-habit,
pillow-linen,
pillow-making,
pillow-rest;
pillow-nestling adj.;
pillow-bar: see
quot.;
pillow-block, a cradle or bearing to hold the boxes or brasses forming the journal-bearing of a shaft or roller;
pillow-book, (
a) a book suitable for reading in bed;
freq. an erotic book; (
occas. used as the title of such a book); (
b) in Japan, a type of private journal or diary;
pillow coat,
-cote = pillow-case;
pillow-counsel:
cf. 1 b;
pillow cover = pillow-case;
pillow-cup, a cup or drink taken before going to bed, a ‘night-cap’;
pillow-fight, a fight with pillows (in a bedroom); also as
v.;
pillow-lace, lace worked on a pillow (sense 3 b);
pillow lava Geol., lava exhibiting pillow structure;
pillow mound Archæol. (see
quots.);
pillow muff = muff n.2 1 a;
pillow-pipe, a pipe smoked before going to bed;
pillow-sham: see
quot. 1879;
pillow-slip,
-tie = pillow-case;
pillow structure Geol., a rock structure in which numerous closely fitting ‘pillows’ are fused together, found in some lavas and attributed to eruption under water; (
cf. sense 6 above);
pillow talk, conversation,
usu. of an intimate kind, held in bed; also as
v.;
pillow tank, a collapsible rubber container used for storing large quantities of liquid;
pillow-word (in Japanese verse): see
quot. 1880.
| 1890 Cent. Dict., *Pillow-bar, the ground or filling of pillow-lace, consisting of irregular threads or groups of threads drawn from one part of the pattern to another. These bars may either be plain or have a minute pearl-edge. |
| 1844 Stephens Bk. Farm II. 534 The axle of these wheels is 11/4 inch diameter,..and is in two lengths supported in *pillow-blocks bolted to the lower edge of the bars. 1882 Rep. to Ho. Repr. Prec. Met. U.S. 586 Pillow blocks for mining machinery shafts. |
| 1906 N. G. R. Smith (title) The *Pillow-Book. Ibid. Pref., The pillow reader will surely find passages taken and left from the pillow books of his own election. 1907 Daily Chron. 5 July 3/4 When one thinks of it, Scott in verse is certainly a good pillow book. 1928 A. Waley Pillow-Bk. of Sei Shōnagon 21 The Pillow-Book..consists partly of reminiscences, partly of entries in diary-form. Ibid. 24 Shōnagan protests, as do most diarists and makers of journals, that the Pillow-Book was intended for herself alone. 1960 Ibid. (rev. ed.) 16 To keep some kind of journal was a common practice of the day [sc. the 10th century]. The name Pillow-Book, Makura no Sōshi, was given at the time to notebooks in which stray impressions were recorded. 1963 ‘Han Suyin’ Four Faces 33 ‘Your blonde..is she a writer?’ ‘Pillow books.’ 1967 Spectator 22 Dec. 782/3 Presumably one tries to write as well in a pillow-book as in a novel. 1968 Guardian 7 May 6/1 Around the walls were eleventh-century Indian temple sculptures, pillow books from Japan..and too many modern works. 1977 E. J. Trimmer et al. Visual Dict. Sex (1978) xxi. 222 Any erotic books can be pillow books if they have the right effect on the reader. |
| 1534 Inv. in Lett. & Pap. Hen. VIII, LXXXIII. lf. 117 b (P.R.O.), A bedstedyll' with a Fetherbed:..One pillowe with a *pillocote. 1600 in W. F. Shaw Mem. Eastry (1870) 226 Forty payer of sheetes..viij payer of pillow coates six payer of pillowes. 1651 in Mayflower Descendant (1908) X. 39, I give her the bed..with two paire of sheets two pillows two paire of pillow coates. 1727 in Ibid. 15, I Give to my Granddaughter Mary Bangs A pillow-coat. |
| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 21, I am aferd al the *pillow counsel in Walden is scarc able to counsel to so hard a case. |
| [1644 in Essex County, Mass. Probate Rec. (1916) I. 41 Two Pilcovrs and two Payer of course sheets, 10s.] 1912 N. L. McClung Black Creek Stopping-House 113 There disappeared at the same time towels, *pillow-covers, and a few small tools. 1969 Widdowson & Halpert in Halpert & Story Christmas Mumming in Newfoundland 151 Pillowcovers were also worn, or a large sheet might be draped over the head, with holes cut for eyes, nose, and mouth. |
| 1829 Scott Anne of G. xix, To hand round to the company a sleeping⁓drink or *pillow-cup, of distilled water, mingled with spices. |
| 1871 L. M. Alcott Little Men i. 16 We always allow one *pillow-fight Saturday night. 1892 ‘Mark Twain’ Amer. Claimant xiii. 119 They generally wound up with a pillow fight, in which they banged each other over the head, and threw the pillows in all directions. 1903 T. Roosevelt Lett. to his Children (1919) 69 The pillow fight raged up and down the hall. 1904 Lloyd George in Westm. Gaz. 8 Jan. 9/2 It was too much of a pillow-fight... There was a great show of effort and of striking without very much damage done. 1939 C. Isherwood Goodbye to Berlin 268 Two young men were pillow-fighting with cushions. a 1953 E. O'Neill More Stately Mansions (1965) i. iii. 52 We had a pillow fight. 1960 L. Hellman Toys in Attic iii. 66 Shall we have a pillow fight or make fudge? 1976 Ulverston (Cumbria) News 3 Dec. 4/4 Gary White, of the Barrow Sailing Club was the winner of the pillow fight on the pole. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Pillow-lace, lace worked by hand on a small cushion or pillow. 1869 F. B. Palliser Lace vii. (ed. 2) 87 That pillow lace was first made in the Low Countries, we have the evidence of contemporary paintings. |
| 1903 Amer. Geologist XXXII. 67 Immediately above the lava sheet is the *pillow lava, proved to be about 60 meters in thickness. 1971 I. G. Gass et al. Understanding Earth xxi. 302/2 The presence of such pillow lavas in ancient rock sequences..is unequivocal evidence of sub-aqueous eruption. 1977 A. Hallam Planet Earth 96 Ridges or cones of granular glassy rocks and pillow lavas result from the subglacial eruption through fissures or vents respectively. |
| 1928 Crawford & Keiller Wessex from Air 23 At High Beech the rabbits use the *pillow-mounds very extensively. 1932 Field Archæol. (Ordnance Survey) 5 Low, flat mounds of earth have been noticed. They are called Pillow-mounds, and appear to be of a much later date [than long barrows]. 1963 E. S. Wood Collins Field Guide Archaeol. ii. ii. 233 Pillow mounds, these are low, oblong mounds..2 to 3 ft. high; most have a shallow ditch round them. |
| 1908 Westm. Gaz. 24 Dec. 15/2 Her furs were cinnamon fox with a bunch of violets in the *pillow muff. |
| 1832 L. Hunt Ariadne Waking 8 Her *pillow-nestling cheek. |
| 1752 Fielding Amelia iii. ii, I sat with him, whilst he smoaked his *pillow pipe, as the phrase is. |
| 1871 G. H. Napheys Prev. & Cure Dis. ii. ii. 429 There should be in every sick⁓room two *pillow-rests. |
| 1871 ‘S. May’ Prudy keeping House 43 As she had decided to call herself Mother Hubbard, she made an ample cap, by folding a ‘*pillow-sham’, and putting two of its ruffled edges around her face for a double border. 1879 Webster Suppl., Pillow⁓sham, a covering, usually of embroidered linen, laid over the pillow of a bed when it is not in use. 1889 Century Mag. XXXVII. 786 Pillow-shams..neatly folded out of the way. 1914 Kipling Lett. of Travel (1920) 244 Our great National Policy of co-educational housekeeping! Ham-frills and pillow-shams. 1926 Chicago Tribune 11 Sept. 2/2 Then there was the pillow-sham holder. 1947 Christian Sci. Monitor 15 Jan. 6/5 And pillow shams! Like the splashes, they were painstakingly worked in red outline. 1963 G. H. Thomson Crocus Country xvi. 100 The pillow-shams or covers..were all crisp and white. 1975 New Yorker 17 Nov. 134/2 To bring a woman's brass bed into line with her nightshirt, there are antique pillow-shams, often copiously trimmed with lace, eyelet, and tucks. |
| 1828 Craven Gloss. (ed. 2), *Pillow-slip, Pillow-bear, the cover or case of a pillow. 1874 J. A. Mair Handbk. Proverbs 461 Pillow-slip, pillow-case. 1883 Longm. Mag. Apr. 648 The wife will rise..and with pillow-slip in hand will gather the mushrooms that have grown with the night. 1920 T. S. Eliot Ara Vos Prec 22 Pushing the framework of the bed And clawing at the pillow slip. |
| [1897 A. Geikie Anc. Vocanoes G.B. I. iii. 26 Some basic lavas on flowing into water or into a watery silt have assumed a remarkable spheroidal sack-like or pillow-like structure.] Ibid. xiv. 244 Some of the diabase-masses display the *pillow-structure and amygdaloidal texture. 1930 Peach & Horne Geol. Scotl. 142 Pillow-structure is well developed in some of the volcanic rocks, the chilled margins of the pillows and the concentric arrangement of the vesicles being marked features. 1971 I. G. Gass et al. Understanding Earth xiii. 165/1 There may be some instances (e.g. pillow structures in lavas) when igneous and metamorphic rocks yield important information. 1977 A. Hallam Planet Earth 188 Similar pillow structures characterize basaltic lavas erupted on the present ocean floors. |
| 1939 Joyce Finnegans Wake i. 57 Mid *pillow talk and chithouse chat, on Marlborough Green as through Molesworth Fields. 1971 Femina (Bombay) 16 Apr. 7/2 Is your husband out pillow-talking with some bright young doll? 1971 Daily Tel. 17 Dec. 9/6 Thanks to a bug under the bed, a man down in the basement..is putting on tape all Ingrid's pillow talk, not to mention her sighs and squeals. 1973 R. Thomas If you can't be Good (1974) xii. 109 She told the senator. Pillow talk, I would think. 1975 Times 23 Aug. 4/7 Mrs Ford..makes it plain she gets her views across to Mr Ford in what she calls ‘Pillow talk’. |
| 1951 Sci. News Let. 10 Feb. 93/1 A new synthetic rubber-nylon ‘*pillow’ tank for gasoline that lies flat on the ground and provides 10,000 gallons of storage in ten minutes will soon be servicing U.S. fighting tanks and trucks at the front. 1959 Post & Times Herald (Washington) 5 Aug. b7 (caption) The pillow tanks can be used to transport virtually all types of liquid on trucks, railroad cars and barges. When not in use, the collapsible containers can be rolled up and packed in a box. 1962 Engineering 26 Jan. 144 An example of the collapsible pillow tank principle, in the transport of water. |
| 1847–78 Halliwell, Pillowbere, a pillow-case... Also called a pillow⁓slip or *pillow-tie. |
| 1877 B. H. Chamberlain in Trans. Asiat. Soc. Japan V. 80 A ‘*Pillow-Word’. 1880 ― Classic. Poetry Japanese Introd. 5 There are..some usual additions to the means at the Japanese versifier's command. They are three in number, and altogether original, viz., what are styled ‘Pillow-words’, ‘Prefaces’, and ‘Pivots’. The ‘Pillow words’ are meaningless expressions which are prefixed to other words merely for the sake of euphony. Almost every word of note has some ‘Pillow-word’ on which it may, so to speak, rest its head. 1899 Eng. Hist. Rev. Apr. 225 The rhymeless metre..is eked out by pillow-words. |
▪ II. ˈpillow, v. [f. prec. n.] 1. trans. To rest or place (the head, etc.) on or as on a pillow; to lay down on a pillow. Also
fig.| 1629 Milton On Nativity 231 So when the Sun in bed,..Pillows his chin upon an Orient wave. 1796 Southey Rudiger xxii, And Rudiger upon his arm Pillow'd the little child. c 1830 E. Irving in Gd. Words Jan. (1884) 46/2 Pillowing their hopes upon something else than the sanctification..which the Gospel hath wrought. 1832 R. & J. Lander Exped. Niger I. i. 7 He appeared in deep reflection,..pillowing his head on his hand. |
b. Of a thing: To serve as a pillow for.
| 1801 Southey Thalaba iv. xii, Wrapt in his mantle Thalaba reposed, His loose right arm pillowing his easy head. 1819 Byron Juan ii. cxiv, And her transparent cheek, all pale and warm, Pillow'd his death-like forehead. |
c. In
pa. pple. Laid on, or as on, a pillow.
| 1794 Coleridge Lines on Friend who died of Frenzy Fever 50 'Mid fitful starts I nod, And fain would sleep, though pillowed on a clod! 1818 Mrs. E. H. Iliff Poems Sev. Occas. (ed. 2) 29 Languor and pain confess thy charm, When pillow'd on thy friendly arm. |
2. intr. To rest the head on or as on a pillow.
| 1800 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. VIII. 890 Like him, I pillow on the cheek, And nestle near the languid eye. a 1820 J. R. Drake Culprit Fay 55 Thou shalt pillow on my breast While heavenly breathings float around. |
3. trans. To support or prop
up with pillows.
| 1839 Sir J. Paget in Mem. & Lett. v. 106 On my arm he came, and breakfasted with me in his sitting-room, blanketted and pillowed. 1850 Life H. Heugh xxvii. (1852) 486 He wished to be pillowed-up more. |
Hence
ˈpillowed (
-əʊd)
ppl. a. (also in
Arch. [
f. pillow n.]
= cushioned 3);
ˈpillowing ppl. a.| 1832 L. Hunt To T. L. H. 9 Thy sidelong pillowed meekness. a 1851 Moir Unknown Grave x, With pillowing daisies for his bed. 1861 Geo. Eliot Silas M. xii, An effort to regain the pillowing arm. 1882 Ogilvie (Annandale), Pillowed..2. In arch. a term applied to a rounded frieze. Called also Pulvinated. |
▪ III. pillow, -e obs. variants of
pilau.