A duvet (RP IPA: [ˈduːveɪ], GenAm IPA: [duˈveɪ], from the French French is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Most native speakers of the language live in duvet "down", IPA: [dyˈvɛ]) is a type of bedding Bedding refers to the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for warmth and decorative effect. Bedding does not include the mattress, box spring or bed frame. Down materials are often used for warmth in bedding — a soft flat bag traditionally filled with down The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding, pillows and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers or 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 found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups, or a combination of both, and used on a bed A bed ( listen ) is a large piece of furniture (or a location) used as a place to sleep, and as a primary place for relaxation and sexual activity as a blanket 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 sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. This is because blankets are for warmth, while sheets are for hygiene, comfort. Duvets originated in rural Europe Europe is one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus region (Specification of borders) and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and and were made from the down feathers of the eider duck The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large sea-duck, which is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on coastal waters, known for its usefulness as an insulator.
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In Westphalia Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Bochum, Detmold, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Hagen, Minden and Münster and included in the state of North Rhine-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. 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 where it is the most common form of bed covering), and have become popular throughout the world in the late 20th century.
Duvets reduce the complexity of making a bed, as it is a single covering instead of the combination of bed sheets In many areas of the world, a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a "top sheet" and when a top sheet is used, the sheet covering the mattress is known as a "bottom sheet". One sleeps between the two bed sheets. Blankets, comforters, and other bed covers are then placed on, blankets 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 sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. This is because blankets are for warmth, while sheets are for hygiene, comfort, and quilts A quilt is a type of bedding composed several layers generally combined using the technique of quilting. Many are made with decorative designs, and some of these are not used as bed covering at all, but are rather made to be hung on a wall or otherwise displayed or other bed covers, which is traditional in many parts of the world. The cover is called a "duvet cover" or a "quilt cover".
In modern times, a duvet is sometimes filled with silk Silk is a natural protein fibre, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity . The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract, wool The term wool is usually restricted to describing the fibrous protein derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles in sheep, cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant. The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Pakistan, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely, or artificial fibers (such as polyester Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate . Polyesters include naturally-occurring chemicals, such as in the cutin of plant cuticles, as well as batting or other artificial material); it is sometimes confused with a comforter 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. Comforters are generally large and rectangular in shape, filled with natural or synthetic insulative material and encased in a shell/covering. Like quilts, comforters are generally used with a. Although comforters go on top of the traditional sheets and blankets, duvets are used by themselves.
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 For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north and discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 177, a duvet or down quilt is often called a "Doona", which is a genericized trademark A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for or synonymous with a general class of product or service, rather than the specific meaning intended by the trademark's holder. Using a genericized trademark to refer to the general form of what that trademark represents is a form of (registered to the Tontine Group Tontine is an Australian manufacturer of pillows. The company began in 1870. From 1984–2001 it was owned by Pacific Dunlop. In 2001 it was sold to create a separate entity. The Tontine group is part of Pacific Brands. Until 2007 the company's manufacturing base was at East Brunswick, Victoria. Tontine Fibres is a division of United Bonded) which is derived from the equivalent common Scandinavian The North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is sometimes referred to as the Nordic languages, a direct translation of the most common term dyne and popularized by the retailer IKEA IKEA is a privately held, international home products retailer that sells ready-to-assemble furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items in their retail stores around the world. The company, which pioneered flat-pack design furniture at affordable prices, is now the world's largest furniture retailer in the 1970s. Originally the term continental quilt was the standard name used across Australia.
In Pakistan Pakistan (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪsˈtaːn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکِستان) (also the Federation of Pakistan), is a country in South Asia. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, is bordered by Afghanistan and, duvets are known as ralli quilts, and are mostly used in the southern province of Sindh Sindh, Indus is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran" (مهران) and "Bab-ul-Islam" (باب الاسلام) The Door to Islam, because Islam in South Asia was first introduced via Sindh. Different cultural and ethnic groups also reside in.
In the US, confusion often occurs as the word "duvet" is sometimes used to refer to a comforter cover rather than the down blanket itself. For example, this is how the term is used by a large retailer:"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. The provision of this benefit became fashionable in the late 1990s with many larger companies in the UK.[2]
Standard sizes
Main article: Bedding#Bedding_sizes Bedding refers to the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for warmth and decorative effect. Bedding does not include the mattress, box spring or bed frame. Down materials are often used for warmth in beddingModern manufacturing conventions have resulted in a large number of sizes and standards.
Thermal performance (tog rating)
Manufacturers usually rate the performance of their products according to their tog The tog is a measure of thermal resistance, commonly used in the textile industry, and often seen quoted on, for example, duvets rating. This enables the purchaser to select a duvet appropriate to the season. The higher the tog rating the warmer the duvet.
A few manufacturers have marketed combined duvet sets consisting of two duvets; one of approximately 4.5 tog and one of approximately 9.5 tog. Used individually or combined, a tog rating could be made to suit all seasons.
See also
- Comforter 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. Comforters are generally large and rectangular in shape, filled with natural or synthetic insulative material and encased in a shell/covering. Like quilts, comforters are generally used with a
- Fill power 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. The higher the fill power the more insulating air pockets the down has and the better insulating ability. Fill power ranges from about 175 cm³/g for feathers to around 900 cm³/g for the highest quality down
- Silk comforter A silk comforter is a bed covering, most often used as a duvet, and also commonly referred to as a silk duvet, silk quilt, or silk blanket. Originally from China, silk comforters are now more common throughout the world. Their increasing popularity stems from a combination of factors, including their thermal properties, their light weight, and
- Tog The tog is a measure of thermal resistance, commonly used in the textile industry, and often seen quoted on, for example, duvets
- futon Futon is an English word derived from Japanese futon /ˌɸɯˈtɔ̃ŋ/ (help·info), a term generally referring to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom. The bedding set referred
- pillow A pillow is a large cushion support for the head, usually used while sleeping in a bed, or for the body as used on a couch or chair. There are also throw pillows , which are pillows that are purely decorative and not designed for support or comfort. Outside the USA these are generally considered a type of cushion, with the term pillow reserved for
- Mattress The word mattress is derived from Arabic words meaning "to throw" and "place where something is thrown" or "mat, cushion." During the Crusades, Europeans adopted the Arabic method of sleeping on cushions thrown on the floor, and the word materas eventually descended into Middle English through the Romance languages
Notes
Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:35:06 GMT+00:00
Wokingham Times George Spence, from Wokingham, had dropped a duvet off at the shop the week before. He returned to Barrett twice to collect it only to find the shop closed ...
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Update 4 20 09 Here is a detail of an engraving by Jean Duvet cerca 1540 1555 which depicts the same The Marriage of Adam and Eve You can see the full engraving here Detail from engraving The Marriage of Adam and Eve by Jean Duvet cerca 1540 1555
