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Glite Dictionary
continental quilt

continental quilt

3.7
A thick soft bed covering filled with feathers or warm fibers used instead of sheets
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒntɪnɛntl kwɪlt/
  • US
translation icon : edredón
  • The continental quilt provided just the right warmth for a comfortable night's rest.

Examples

  • I love to snuggle under my continental quilt on cold winter nights.

  • For a cozy sleep, consider using a continental quilt instead of heavy blankets.

  • There's all photographs of him, Ronnie on the wall and he's got this sort of continental quilt and the pillar, same colour of it was like that.

Synonyms

quilt
vscontinental quilt
140 1.2

A warm blanket of two layers of fabric stitched together with soft filling

is less decorative and more commonly used to replace sheets and blankets
comforter
vscontinental quilt
  • US
19 2.5

A thick bed covering filled with warm material for sleeping

is similar but usually constructed without stitched layers holding the filling
duvet
vscontinental quilt
9 3.0

A soft quilted blanket used on a bed to keep you warm

is the same item but named differently in British usage
eiderdown
vscontinental quilt
1 8.8

A warm quilt filled with soft feathers from the eider duck

is similar but allows various fillings, not only that duck's down
coverlid
vscontinental quilt
  • Archaic
9.9

A cloth like a quilt or blanket that covers a bed

is the modern common term rather than the older descriptive name

How Warm

eiderdown
1 8.8
continental quilt
  • US
3.7
quilt
140 1.2
bedspread
22 1.4
bed sheet
15 1.0

Surface Forms

continental quilt singular
continental quilts plural

Morphology

continental + quilt

The noun 'quilt' clearly signals a filled bed covering, so learners who know the parts will infer the general category. However, 'continental' (literally ‘of a continent’) does not transparently indicate the specific duvet-like, thick style or the regional naming convention, so the precise sense 'duvet' is not predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The noun continental quilt comes from a sleeping style on the 'continent' of Europe, where people slept under one thick quilt instead of separate sheets and blankets. That's why today continental quilt means 'a thick, soft bed covering' used in place of sheets and blankets.