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Meaning & use

silk eiderdown

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌsɪlk ˈaɪdədaʊn/
US/ˌsɪlk ˈaɪdərdaʊn/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableBritish

    A bed cover filled with soft feathers and covered in silk fabric.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say a silk eiderdown or two silk eiderdowns.

    Patterns

    • a silk eiderdown
    • under a silk eiderdown

    She pulled the silk eiderdown up to her chin and fell asleep at once.

    The guest room has a silk eiderdown that feels wonderfully light.

    They keep a spare silk eiderdown in the cupboard for cold nights.

  2. noununcountableAmerican

    The soft feathers of the eider duck, or a quilt filled with them.

    Grammar: Uncountable when it means the feather material: eiderdown was used to fill pillows.

    Patterns

    • filled with eiderdown
    • a jacket made of eiderdown

    The old pillows were stuffed with eiderdown and smelled faintly of the sea.

    Eiderdown is prized because it traps warmth without much weight.

Word forms

pluralsilk eiderdowns

Common combinations

a warm silk eiderdown
A warm silk eiderdown makes the bed feel luxurious.
pull up the eiderdown
He pulled up the eiderdown and switched off the light.
a silk eiderdown cover
The silk eiderdown cover was embroidered with tiny flowers.
sleep under a silk eiderdown
In winter they sleep under a silk eiderdown.

Synonyms and how they differ

duvet
The usual British word for a thick modern bed cover; a silk eiderdown is the older, feather-filled type.
quilt
A more general word for any stitched bed cover, whether filled with feathers, wool or synthetic material.
comforter
The common American word for a thick bed cover; it does not suggest silk or feathers.

Word family

eiderdown noun
The short form of the same word, used on its own for the cover or the feathers.
eider noun
The sea duck whose soft feathers were traditionally used to fill these covers.
silky adjective
Soft and smooth like silk, used of fabric, hair or a voice.

Commonly confused: silk eiderdown or eider duck?

silk eiderdown vs eider duck

This is the bird, not the bedding. A silk eiderdown is a cover; an eider duck is the animal that provides the feathers.

Practice

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