c.1300, "mattress with soft lining," from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute "quilt, mattress" (12c.), from Latin culcita "mattress, bolster," of unknown origin. Sense of "thick outer bed covering" is first recorded 1590s.

1550s, from quilt, n.. Related: Quilted; quilting. Quilting bee attested from 1824 (see bee).