Pil″low (?), n. [OE. pilwe, AS. pyle, fr. L. pilvinus.] 1. Anything used to support the head of a person when reposing; especially, a sack or case filled with feathers, down, hair, or other soft material.
finds the down pillow hard. Shak.
2. (Mach.) A piece of metal or wood, forming a support to equalize pressure; a brass; a pillow block.
3. (Naut.) A block under the inner end of a bowsprit.
4. A kind of plain, coarse fustian.
Lace pillow, a cushion used in making hand-wrought lace. — Pillow bier [OE. pilwebere; cf. LG. büre a pillowcase], a pillowcase; pillow slip. Chaucer. — Pillow block(Mach.), a block, or standard, for supporting a journal, as of a shaft. It is usually bolted to the frame or foundation of a machine, and is often furnished with journal boxes, and a movable cover, or cap, for tightening the bearings by means of bolts; — called also pillar block, or plumber block. — Pillow lace, handmade lace wrought with bobbins upon a lace pillow. — Pillow of a plow, a crosspiece of wood which serves to raise or lower the beam. — Pillow sham, an ornamental covering laid over a pillow when not in use. — Pillow slip, a pillowcase.