Cushion
WordNet
noun
(1) A soft bag filled with air or a mass of padding such as feathers or foam rubber etc.
(2) A mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
"The old car needed a new set of shocks"
verb
(3) Protect from impact
"Cushion the blow"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From coissin ultimately from coxa ‘hip, thigh’.
Noun
- A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support; for sitting on, kneeling on, resting one's head on etc.
- Something acting as a cushion, especially to absorb a shock or impact.
- The lip around a table in cue sports which absorbs some of the impact of the billiard balls and bounces them back.
Verb
- to provide a soft pillow cushion
- to absorb or deaden the impact of something