upholster
Meaning
To provide furniture with soft, thick coverings, padding, and springs.
Structure
Usage
They decided to upholster the old armchair in a vibrant blue velvet.
Learning to upholster properly requires skill with fabrics, padding, and tools.
The antique sofa was beautifully reupholstered to match the room's new decor.
Etymology
The word 'upholster' has a surprisingly literal origin in the furniture trade. It derives from the Middle English term 'upholder', which referred to a tradesman who held up or maintained goods, specifically a dealer in small furnishings. The verb form 'upholster' emerged by the 17th century, back-formed from 'upholsterer'. Its components, 'up-' (intensive) and the obsolete 'holster' (from Middle English, meaning "to hold or keep"), combine to create the sense of "one who holds up or provides (furnishings)". Over time, the meaning narrowed from the general dealer to the specific craft of fitting furniture with padding, springs, and fabric coverings, which "holds up" the soft materials and the user.
Analysis
- up: Old English origin, meaning "up, upward". In this word, it functions as an intensifying prefix. - holster: Middle English origin, from 'holster' meaning "to hold, to keep". In this word, it functions as the core root meaning "to hold, to keep".