- "Duvet" is also the title of a song by Bôa from the album The Race of a Thousand Camels. Bôa are a British alternative / indie band formed in London in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten The Race of a Thousand Camels is an album by Bôa, released in 1998.
A duvet (pronounced /duːˈveɪ/, from the French duvet "down", IPA: [dyˈvɛ]) (or continental quilt or doona) is a type of bedding — a soft flat bag traditionally filled with down or feathers, or a combination of both and used on a bed as a blanket. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Bedding refers to the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for warmth For the record label see Duck Down Records The down of Birds is a layer of fine Feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures A bed is a piece of Furniture (or a location primarily used as a place to Sleep, and often used for Relaxation. A blanket is a type of Bedding, generally speaking a large piece of cloth intended to keep the user warm especially while Sleeping Blankets are distinguished from Duvets originated in rural Europe and were made from the down feathers of the Eider duck, known for its usefulness as an insulator. The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large (50-71cm body length sea-duck, which is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North
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History
In Westphalia, an English travel-writer observed with surprise in 1749,
- "There is one thing very particular to them, that they do not cover themselves with bed-cloaths, but lay one feather-bed over, and another under. Westphalia (Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster This is comfortable enough in winter, but how they can bear their feather-beds over them in summer, as is generally practised, I cannot conceive. " — Thomas Nugent, The Grand Tour 1749, vol II. p. 66
Duvets are still commonly used in Europe (especially in northern Europe and Scandinavia where it is the most common form of bed covering), and have become popular throughout the world in the late 20th century, for example in Canada. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
Duvets reduce the complexity of making a bed, as it is a single covering instead of the combination of sheets, blankets, and quilts or other bed covers, which is traditional in many parts of the world. A quilt is a type of Bedding — a bed covering composed of a quilt top a layer of batting, and a layer of fabric for backing generally combined using the technique The cover is called a "duvet cover" or a "quilt cover".
Nowadays, a duvet is sometimes filled with silk, wool, cotton, or artificial fibers (such as polyester batting or other artificial material). Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain It is sometimes confused with a comforter, although comforters go on top of the traditional sheets and blankets and are primarily decorative while duvets are used alone. A comforter is a type of Blanket. Comforters are intended to keep the user warm especially during sleep although they can also be used as mattress pads
In some European countries any thick, warm blanket is subject to being called a duvet, as this has become a popular name for these kinds of blankets.
In Australia a duvet or down quilt is often called a "Doona", which is a genericized trademark (registered to the Tontine Group) derived from the Old Norse dunn meaning "down feathers". For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A genericized trademark (also known as a generic trademark or proprietary eponym) is a Trademark or Brand name that has become the colloquial Tontine is an Australian manufacturer of Pillows The company began in 1870. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Originally the term continental quilt was the standard name used across Australia, and some regions continue to use this term. In Pakistan, duvets are known as ralli quilts, and are mostly used in the southern province of Sindh. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Sindh ( Sindhī: سنڌ Urdu: سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis.
In the US, confusion often occurs as the word "duvet" may refer to a comforter cover rather than the down blanket itself. This is how the term is used by several large retailers:
- "For those of you enjoying a down comforter, or even just looking for a change for your bedroom, a duvet could be the perfect answer. Since you will be placing your comforter inside the duvet, it is important that the appropriate size be selected. " — Bed, Bath and Beyond, Sizing Up Your Bedroom [1]
The term "Duvet day" is used in some countries to describe an allowance of one or more days a year when employees can simply phone in and say that they are not coming in to work, even though they have no leave booked and are not ill. A Duvet day is a formal allowance of time off given by some employers most commonly in the United Kingdom and United States. The provision of this benefit became fashionable in the late 1990s with many larger companies in the UK. [2]
See also
External links
Notes
A comforter is a type of Blanket. Comforters are intended to keep the user warm especially during sleep although they can also be used as mattress pads Fill power is a measure of the loft or "fluffiness" of a down product that is loosely related to the insulating value of the down silk comforter (絲綿被 is a bed covering most often used as a Duvet, and also commonly referred to as a silk duvet silk quilt or silk blanket The tog is a measure of Thermal resistance, commonly used in the Textile industry, and often seen quoted on for example Duvets The Shirley InstituteDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic