The wooden or metal framework of a bed that holds the mattress, springs, and bedding in place.
From bed + stead (from Old English 'stede' meaning place or position). The word literally means 'the place of the bed' and has been used since the 1600s for the structural frame itself.
Bedsteads are what archaeologists use to understand how people slept in the past—finding the stead tells us about social class, comfort levels, and even sleeping positions from centuries ago.
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