'Pillow' was borrowed from Latin 'pulvinus' (cushion) — possibly related to 'pulvis' (dust), hinting at the stuffing.
A cloth bag stuffed with soft material, used to support the head during sleep.
From Old English pyle or pylu (pillow, cushion), from Proto-Germanic *pulwī, an early borrowing from Latin pulvīnus (cushion, pillow, bolster). The Latin pulvīnus is of debated origin; the most discussed etymon connects it to pulvis (dust, powder, fine particles), suggesting that the earliest pillows or cushions were stuffed with a powdery or granular material — chaff, sand, or dried plant matter — rather than the feathers or wool that later became standard. The borrowing from Latin into Proto-Germanic likely occurred during the Roman period, when Roman material culture
The Romans used 'pulvīnus' for both a cushion and a raised bank of earth in a garden — both are soft, rounded, supporting things. The word may be related to 'pulvis' (dust, powder), suggesting early pillows were stuffed with something powdery or fine-grained. Ancient Greek and Roman pillows were stuffed with straw, feathers, or wool — the goose-down pillow beloved of modern sleepers