bolster

English

A bolster on a bed.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbəʊlstə/

Alternative forms

• boulster
• bowster, bouster, boster (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English bolstre, from Old English bolster (“bolster, cushion”), from Proto-Germanic *bulstraz, *bulstran (“bolster”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“bag, pillow, paunch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to swell, blow, inflate, burst”). Cognate with Scots bowster (“bolster”), West Frisian bulster (“mattress”), Dutch bolster (“husk, shell”), German Polster (“bolster, pillow, pad”), Swedish bolster (“soft mattress, bolster”), Icelandic bólstur (“pillow”).

Noun

Bolster or pillow (structural) (geograph.org.uk - 325191)

bolster (plural bolsters)

1. A large cushion or pillow.
2. A short, horizontal, structural timber between a post and a beam for enlarging the bearing area of the post and/or reducing the span of the beam. Sometimes also called a pillow or cross-head (Australian English).

Synonyms

• Dutch wife

Translations

a large cushion or pillow

• Bulgarian: възглавница (bg) (vǎzglavnica) f
• Danish: bolster (da)
• Finnish: tyyny (fi)
• French: traversin (fr) m
• German: Polster (de), n, in Österreich m
• Italian: capezzale (it) m
• Russian: подушка (ru) (podúška) f, валик (ru) (válik) m

• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: cabetzèra, cabitzali

  Gallurese Sardinian: capitzali

• Sassarese Sardinian: cabitzari
• Swedish: bolster (sv)
• Telugu: దిండు (te)

Verb

bolster (third-person singular simple present bolsters, present participle bolstering, simple past and past participle bolstered)

1. To brace, reinforce, secure, or support.

Translations

to brace, reinforce, secure, or support

• Bulgarian: подпирам (bg) (podpiram), поддържам (bg) (poddǎržam), крепя (bg) (krepja)
• Dutch: versterken (nl), veilig stellen (nl), ondersteunen (nl)
• Finnish: tukea (fi), vahvistaa (fi)

• Russian: подпирать (ru) (podpirátʹ), поддерживать (ru) (poddérživatʹ), крепить (ru) (krepítʹ)

Anagrams

• bolters, lobster, trobles

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Swedish

Noun

bolster n

1. a bolster, a large cushion or pillow

Declension

Declension of bolster

	singular		plural
Neuter	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bolster	bolstret	bolster	bolstren
genitive	bolsters	bolstrets	bolsters	bolstrens