A vertical support or pillar at one of the four corners of a bed frame that holds up the mattress and framework.
Compound word from 'bed' (Old English 'bedd') and 'post' (Latin 'postis,' meaning a doorpost or upright support). The compound emerged as beds with four-post frames became common in medieval times.
Four-poster beds with tall bedposts became a status symbol in the 1600s because they could hold expensive curtains and drapes that showed off wealth and kept people warm—so a really fancy bedpost was basically ancient luxury!
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