Standard Lemma guide

bedclothes

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbɛd.kləʊðz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • She pulled the bedclothes over her neck to stay warm.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Clothing worn to bed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

Examples

  • Tom put his bedclothes on and went to sleep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

coverings that are used on a bed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bed clothing, bedding

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cloth covering

Narrower terms: bedroll, bedspread, bedcover, bed cover, bed covering, counterpane, spread, blanket, cover, mattress cover, quilt, comforter, comfort, puff, throw

History

Etymology

From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes.

Across languages

Translations

49 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: beddegoed — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Afrikaans: kooigoed — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Arabic: أَغْطِيَةُ السَّرِير (ʔaḡṭiyatu s-sarīr) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Azerbaijani: yorğan-döşək — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Azerbaijani: paltar — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Bulgarian: спално бельо (spalno beljo) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Bulgarian: чаршафи (čaršafi) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 床上用品 (chuángshàng yòngpǐn) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Czech: lůžkoviny — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Czech: ložní prádlo — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Danish: sengelinned — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Danish: sengetøj — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Dutch: beddengoed — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Esperanto: litkovrilo — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Esperanto: litkovriloj — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Esperanto: litaĵo — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Finnish: liinavaatteet — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Finnish: petivaatteet — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Finnish: vuodevaatteet — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Finnish: lakanat — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • French: linge de lit — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • German: Bettwäsche — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • German: Bettzeug — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Ancient Greek: ἐνεύναιον (eneúnaion) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Gujarati: પાગરણ (pāgraṇ) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Gujarati: બિસ્તરો (bistaro) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Gujarati: પથારી (pathārī) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Hungarian: ágynemű — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Ingrian: alus — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Irish: cóir leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Irish: córacha leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Irish: éadach leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Irish: éadaí leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Irish: línéadach leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Italian: biancheria da letto — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Macedonian: постелнина (postelnina) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Brunei Malay: cadar — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Māori: paraikete — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Norwegian: sengetøy — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Polish: pościel — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Portuguese: roupa de cama — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Romanian: lenjerie de pat — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Romanian: așternut — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Russian: посте́льное бельё (postélʹnoje belʹjó) — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Scottish Gaelic: aodach-leapa — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Scottish Gaelic: adhart — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Slovak: posteľná bielizeň — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Spanish: ropa de cama — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed
  • Swedish: sängkläder — sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed