page_title: Pillow
section_title: Beds
hierarchical_section_title: Pillow / Types / Beds
caption_attribution_description: Bed made with white bed linen. Four fluffy pillows and crumpled sheet &lt;-- there is no duvet, but a woolen blanket unter the upper sheet --&gt;. Original description: 350 thread count sheets. Down featherbed. Down duvet. Super fluffy pillows. Ahhhhhhh.Best. Bed. Evah.
context_page_description: A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows, decorative pillows and many more. Pillows that aid sleeping are a form of bedding that supports the head and neck. Other types of pillows are designed to support the body when lying down or sitting. There are also pillows that consider human body shape for increased comfort during sleep. Decorative pillows used on people, couches or chairs are sometimes referred to as cushions.
  In contemporary western culture, pillows consist of a plain or patterned fabric envelope which contains a soft stuffing, typically synthetic and typically standardized in sizes and shape. Pillows have been historically made of a variety of natural materials and many cultures continue to use pillows made from natural materials in the world.
  The word pillow comes from Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle and from Latin pulvinus. The first known use of the word pillow was before the 12th century.
context_section_description: The classic bed pillow shape is usually a square or rectangle. In the US, they are common in these three sizes (in inches): Standard (20×26 inches), Queen (20×30 inches), and King (20×36 inches).  In the US, a less common size is Jumbo (20×28 inches), which is larger than the Standard Size but smaller than the Queen Size.
  Pillows are generally covered with a removable pillow case, which facilitates laundering. Apart from the color and from the material of which they are made, pillowcases have three contrasting characteristics:
  Size
  Features
  Opening/closing
  Size conforms to the pillow the case is to contain. They are typically described as:
  Standard
  16 in × 16 in (41 cm × 41 cm) (square)
  Square
  26 in × 26 in (66 cm × 66 cm)
  Standard
  20 in × 26 in (51 cm × 66 cm)
  Queen
  20 in × 30 in (51 cm × 76 cm)
  King
  20 in × 36 in (51 cm × 91 cm)
  Square is also called continental in the UK. German pillow sizes are 80×80 cm (older) or 40×80 cm (newer). When considered as a subset of bed pillows, Euro pillows finish 26×26 in and older style travel pillows commonly finished 12×16 in.
  
  The main distinguishing feature is whether the pillow case is plain or with a valance around the edge. In the former case this is described as 'plain style' and in the latter as 'Oxford style'.
  "Oxford ... has a 5cm-10cm valance round all four sides. With a hemstitched or corded decoration around the inner edge of the valance."
  
  The opening/closure of pillow cases ranges from the straightforward "bag style" common in the United States to the "housewife style" more common in Europe, with a pocket inside the open end to fully contain the pillow.
  "Housewife is ... essentially a bag, with a flap in the open end to tuck the pillowcase behind to keep it in..."
  Other methods of closure are ties or buttons/buttonholes.
  Body pillows are as long as a full adult body, providing support to the head and neck at the top and to the knees and legs lower down. This type of pillow can be especially useful in providing support for those who sleep on their sides and for pregnant women. Size is 40×140 cm. (See also: Dutch wife)
caption: Several pillows on a bed
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