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pillow slip

pillow slip

1 1.7
A cloth cover for a pillow that you can take off to keep it clean
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪloʊ slɪp/
  • UK
translation icon : funda de almohada
  • Strapped to the back of the carriage is his trunk: large and crammed with beautiful shirts, linen, and embroidered sheets and pillow slips; a cigar case and silver toilet articles.
  • embroidered pillow slips

Examples

  • "Oh, aren't they pretty?" Eddie commented as she pulled out two embroidered pillow slips.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I almost went inside the room with her, but when I saw Angie's face, looking so small and pale against the starched white pillow slip, I stepped back.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • At one point, when her mouth was empty, he bent down so he could kiss her as she retrieved a pillow slip from the basket.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • With a freshly laundered pillow slip.

  • Two pairs of pillow slips, still warm to the touch, were stacked on the table.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • "She curved herself close and cozy and fetal, and pulled a small pillow beneath her head, a baby gift whose creweled linen pillow slip hadn't looked crisp since the moment I'd opened it."

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The hotel provides fresh pillow slips for each guest to ensure a comfortable night's sleep.

  • She chose soft, cotton pillow slips that matched her new bedding set.

  • After washing the pillow slips, they smelled wonderfully clean and inviting.

Synonyms

pillowcase
vspillow slip
35 1.0

A removable cloth cover for a pillow that keeps it clean

focuses more on protection and a clean sleeping surface than decoration
slip
vspillow slip
  • UK
1 1.7

A cover for a pillow

is the specific removable cover used to protect and clean the surface
pillowslip
vspillow slip
  • UK
1.4

A cloth cover you put on a pillow to keep it clean

is written as two words rather than one combined word

How Protective

pillow slip
  • UK
1 1.7
pillowcase
35 1.0
pillow sham
1 4.7

Surface Forms

pillow slip singular
pillow slips plural

Morphology

pillow + slip

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pillow' (soft pad used under the head) with 'slip' (a cloth cover), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a removable cover for a pillow. This noun+noun compound pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'funda de almohada') and follows straightforward compositional rules, making it accessible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Pillow slip comes from a simple image: a light cloth called the slip that 'slips' over a pillow to cover it. Because it 'slips' on and off, the term came to mean 'a cloth cover for a pillow that you can take off'.