What does quilt mean?
A quilt is a cover made from layers of fabric, padding, or similar material, usually joined with stitches so that the layers remain fixed. The most familiar sense is a decorative or practical bed cover, often featuring patchwork, repeated patterns, or handcrafted details. The word can also refer more broadly to padded or quilted coverings, such as a quilted jacket or bag. As a verb, “quilt” means to make such a covering or to sew material in a pattern that secures its layers. Quilting combines practical function with textile artistry, and handmade quilts often carry cultural, familial, and historical significance as well as providing warmth.
A cover for a bed, made from layers of fabric or padding joined together with stitching; more broadly, any padded or patterned covering made in this way.
"A floral quilt covered the old wooden bed."
The word is especially common for a bed cover, but it can also describe quilted garments, bags, or other padded items.
To make a quilt or quilted covering by sewing together layers of material, or to cover something with such a layer.
"They spent the winter quilting a warm jacket."
The verb commonly takes an object naming the material or item being quilted.
The plural is formed by adding -s. It is used for multiple bed covers, padded coverings, or individual quilted items.
"The shop sells quilts in several sizes and patterns."
A quilt is both a practical bed cover and a record of its maker's patience: its patterns preserve stories through layers of cloth and stitches.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quilt come from?
The English word developed through Middle English “quilt” and an earlier Old English form “cwilt,” both associated with a bed covering. The word is generally traced to Latin “culcita,” a term for a mattress or bedcover, probably through Old French and medieval English. The Latin root also underlies some later continental European forms, reflecting the longstanding exchange of textile terminology across languages.
Related word forms
How quilt is actually used
As a noun, “quilt” is most commonly used for a bed cover, although it can refer more broadly to a padded or patterned cover. As a verb, “quilt” usually describes sewing padded layers together in a decorative or structural pattern; “quilt something with something” can also describe using one material to cover or fill another.