What does hassock mean?
A hassock is a low, usually padded seat that serves as a footstool or ottoman; in church use, the word can also denote a cushion for kneeling. It is more familiar in British English than in American English, where footstool is often the natural everyday term. A less common sense is a dense tuft or mound of grass, especially one forming an island in wet ground. These senses reflect the word’s history: it began as a term for coarse grass, and the name was later applied to low seats and kneeling cushions. Hassock can sound traditional or slightly old-fashioned, which suits its association with libraries, drawing rooms, and historic churches, but it remains a precise, useful word. The church sense is especially recognizable, while a footstool or ottoman can be contemporary and stylish. For a single English word to cover both a seat for the feet and a pad for the knees, hassock is unusually evocative.
nounA low footstool or ottoman, especially a padded one; also, in a church, a cushion for kneeling.
- A low footstool or ottoman, especially one with a padded seat.
- A cushion used for kneeling, especially in a church.
- A tuft or mound of grass, especially coarse grass forming a raised island in wet ground.
"She rested her feet on a velvet hassock beside the fireplace."
"He placed a book on the hassock beside his chair."
"Rounded hassocks of coarse grass dotted the marsh."
The plural is used for several low seats, footrests, or kneeling cushions.
"The church provided hassocks for worshippers who knelt during the service."
Hassock began as a tuft of grass, then became the low seat for your feet—and the cushion for your knees in church.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hassock come from?
The word descends through Middle English from an Old English term for coarse grass or a tuft of grass. Its Germanic relatives include Dutch hassel and Old High German haso, while English hazel reflects the same ancient root. The name was later extended to low seats and subsequently to padded kneeling cushions, especially those used in churches.
How hassock is actually used
The word has a traditional, slightly old-fashioned tone, especially in reference to church kneeling cushions. In American English, footstool or ottoman is usually more natural for the seat.
Easily confused with hassock
A tussock is chiefly a tuft or clump of grass, while a hassock usually denotes a low footstool or a church kneeling cushion.