Bedsted

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The wooden framework that supports a mattress and holds the bed together
2. The frame of a bed made of timber, on which the mattress rests
3. The structural base of a bed, usually built from wood, that carries the mattress

Etymology: Bedsted is an old English word for a bedstead, the wooden frame that supports a mattress. It is built from two Old English elements: "bed," meaning a place to sleep, and "stede," meaning a place or position, the same root that survives in "homestead" and "instead." Put together, the compound literally meant something like "bed-place," a spot set aside for sleeping. The word was in use by the time of the earliest English writings, and it has been recorded in various spellings across the centuries. Over time the second element was reshaped in speech and writing, so "bedstead" became the standard form, while "bedsted" survives mainly in older texts and in some dialect usage.

Synonyms: bedstead