Bedcord

/ˈbɛdkɔːrd/ noun

Definition

A rope or cord woven across a bedstead frame to support the mattress before springs were invented.

Etymology

Compound from 'bed' and 'cord' (from Latin 'chorda' meaning 'string' or 'rope'), describing the functional cords that were essential furniture components in early bed construction.

Kelly Says

The 'bedcord' is a beautiful piece of forgotten technology—before box springs, a web of ropes laced across the wooden frame held up the mattress, and you'd tighten them with a tool called a 'bedkey' to keep them taut!

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