a. A permanent structure or arrangement for sleeping on, or for the sake of rest. In some form or other it constitutes a regular article of household furniture in civilized life, as well as part of the equipment of an army or expedition. It consists for the most part of a sack or mattress of sufficient size, stuffed with something soft or springy, raised generally upon a ‘bed-stead’ or support, and covered with sheets, blankets, etc., for the purpose of warmth. The name is given both to the whole structure in its most elaborate form, and, as in ‘feather-bed,’ to the stuffed sack or mattress which constitutes its essential part. (A person is said to be in bed, when undressed and covered with the bedclothes.)

b. Often used somewhat elliptically for the use of a bed for the night, the condition or position of being in bed, sleeping in bed, the time for sleeping, etc. Cf. also the phrases at sense 6.

c. bed and board: entertainment with lodging and food. Of a wife: full connubial relations, as wife and mistress of the household.

d. figurative. The ‘sleeping-place’ attributed to things personified; that on which persons figuratively ‘repose’.

e. spec. = hospital bed n. at hospital n. Compounds 2; also with qualifying adjective; cf. pay-bed n. at pay v.¹ Compounds 1a.

f. Chiefly used as an advertising term: bedroom.

a. As the place of conjugal union; hence matrimonial rights and duties.

b. As the place of procreation and child-birth; hence parental union, parentage; also birth, progeny.

a. Qualified by an adjective or attributive noun, as narrow bed, the grave; wedlock bed = marriage bed n.; see also nuptial bed n. at nuptial adj. and n. Compounds, bridal bed n. at bridal adj. Compounds.

b. Qualified by preposition phrase, as bed of death = deathbed n., also used as synonymous with next; bed of dust, the grave; bed of down, bed of flowers, bed of roses, (figurative) a delightful resting-place, a comfortable or easy position; bed of honour, honour's bed, (spec.) the grave of a soldier who has died on the field of battle; bed of pleasure; bed of sickness (cf. sickbed n.) that upon which a person lies during illness; bed of state, a superb and finely decorated bed for show, or for laying out the corpse of a distinguished person (see state bed n. at state n. Compounds 3a).

c. Prepositional phrases: in, to, out of bed.

a. Gunnery. The portion of a gun-carriage upon which the gun rests; formerly spec. a movable block of wood laid under the breech to give the general elevation, quoins being driven between it and the gun.

b. Architecture and Building. The surface of a stone or brick which is embedded in the mortar; the under side of a slate.

c. Mechanics. Any foundation, framework, or support, which furnishes a solid or unyielding surface upon which to rest a superstructure, or execute a piece of work.

d. Carpentry. A support or rest, e.g. for a ship on the stocks, for the lodging of a bowsprit, etc.

f. The body of a cart or wagon. dialect and U.S.

a. A layer, a stratum; a horizontal course.

b. Geology. A layer or stratum of some thickness.

a. A layer of small animals, especially reptiles, congregated thickly in some particular spot. Cf. nest n. 3 in a similar sense.

b. esp. A layer of shellfish covering a tract of the bottom of the sea.