quilt (English)
Where does "quilt" come from?
The English noun 'quilt' traces its lineage through Middle English 'quilte'[1][4], drawing from Anglo-Norman 'quilte' and Old French 'coilte'[1][4]. These forms descend directly from the Latin 'culcita'[1][3][4], meaning a cushion, mattress, or bolster. Along the way, this term formed a doublet with the word 'quoit'.
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the Latin root culcita remains uncertain, with proposed derivations including a connection to calco or roots like Proto Indo European *kʷel and *ḱol bʰo. [2]
Full etymology tree
- quilt (English), 'A quilted skirt worn by women.'
- borrowed quilte (Middle English), 'A quilt (also when used as a mattress)'
- borrowed quilte (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited culcita (Latin), 'mattress, pillow, cushion'
- borrowed coilte (Old French), 'cushion'
- inherited culcita (Latin), 'mattress, pillow, cushion'
- borrowed quilte (Anglo-Norman)
- borrowed quilte (Middle English), 'A quilt (also when used as a mattress)'
Ancestors
- quilte (Middle English)
- coilte (Old French)
- culcita (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- quoit (English)
- couette (French)
Descendants and derived words
- bedquilt (English)
- continental quilt (English)
- crazy quilt (English)
- honeycomb quilt (English)
- memory quilt (English)
- nanoquilt (English)
- patchwork quilt (English)
- quillow (English)
- quiltlike (English)
- quiltmaker (English)
- quiltmaking (English)
- quiltmaking (English)
Sources
- quilt (English) - Wiktionary
- culcita (Latin) - Wiktionary
- coilte (Old French) - Wiktionary
- quilte (Middle English) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris