Mat
/mæt/noun
A piece of thick material used as a floor covering, pad, or protective layer.
Did you know?English mat comes from a Germanic word for a woven covering, and its deepest relatives are tied to making and weaving—reminding us that language itself was once a kind of crafted spell.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mat-
“to plait, weave, or make a woven covering”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*mattō
“mat, rug, woven covering”
Old English
OE
mæt
“mat, piece of woven material laid on a floor or surface”
Middle English
ME
mat
“mat, pad, floor covering”
Modern English
English
mat
“a piece of thick material used as a floor covering, pad, or protective layer”