Bolster

This article is about the kind of pillow. For other uses, seeBolster (disambiguation).

Bed withpillow(right) and bolster (left)

A bolster pillow

Abolsteris a long narrowpilloworcushionfilled withcotton,downorfibre.Bolsters are usually firm for back or arm support or for decorative application.They are not a standard size or shape and commonly have azipperorhook-and-loopenclosure.A foam insert is sometimes used for additional support.A bolster is also referred to as a cushion, a pillow and aprop.A bolster pillow is a common shape forlace pillows.

Etymology

The word is from bothMiddleandOld English,and is a cognate of the Old Englishbelg,'bag'.The first known use of the wordbolsterwas before the 12th century.

Southeast and South Asia

InSoutheast Asiancountries, in particularVietnam,thePhilippines,Indonesia,Cambodia,Malaysia,Myanmar,Singapore,andThailand,the bolster is designed to be hugged when sleeping. In Vietnam, it is known asgối ôm('hugging pillow') orpillowy,while in the Philippines, the traditionaldantayanis also colloquially known as a 'hotdogpillow'. Cambodians call it aខ្នើយអោប,which directly translates to 'hug pillow'. Malaysians call itbantal peluk('hug pillow'), and Indonesians call itguling('roll pillow'). In Indonesia, it is also known colloquially as aDutch Wife.In Thailand, it is known asหมอนข้าง(monkhang);หมอน(mon) means 'pillow' andข้าง(khang) means 'beside'.

InIndiaandPakistan,a type of bolster is known there as alode(inMarathi),gao-takkiya,masnad masland,orpaash-baalish/kol-baalish(inBengali),tool viharo(inSindhi) and is used for back support aside from hugging during sleep.

East Asia

InChina,it is calledbàozhěninMandarin(simplified:Bão chẩm,'hugging pillow'), while inCantoneseit is known aslaam²zam²(traditional:Lãm chẩm;pinyin:lǎn zhěn).

Bolsters are calleddakimakura(Bão き chẩm) inJapan.Tradition suggests that a wife would fashion the bolster made ofbambooand give it to her husband when he travelled away from home so that he would not be lonely at night, hence the alternative termsbamboo wife,Dutch wife,orchikufujin(Trúc phu nhân). It is believed that the pillow was invented by Dutch colonialists which is why it is also referred to asDutch wife.

InKorea,it is referred to as ajukbuin(죽부인), from the wordsjuk('bamboo') andpuin('wife'). Ajukbuinis used in the summer months to cool down while sleeping, since its hollow construction from thin bamboo strips allows air to flow through the pillow. A person tightly wraps their arms and legs around thejukbuinwhile sleeping.

Western countries

In western countries, a bolster is usually placed at the head of one's bed and functions as head or lower back support, or as an arm support on furniture with high rigid sides. Bolster pillows are also used as bumpers in cribs and for lounging on the floor in family and children's rooms.

In theUnited States,body pillows resemble bolsters and are designed to be hugged when sleeping.

In Denmark and Norway, it is called apølle.

InFrance,it is called atraversinorpolochonand is mostly used as a pillow, especially by the elderly in rural areas but also for summer camps.