tatami means straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
tatami is pronounced /təˈtɑːmi/.
Why “tatami” is a great word
TATAMI — [Noun] A thick, rectangular floor mat woven from soft rush (igusa) over a compressed straw core, used as a traditional floor covering in Japanese-style rooms and serving as a standardized unit of area. Borrowed from Japanese 畳 (tatami), from the verb tatamu meaning 'to fold' or 'to pile up'; first attested in English in the early 17th century (c. 1610–1614). Unlike a carpet (a continuous, often synthetic textile of variable dimension) or a rug (a movable, decorative fragment), a tatami is a modular, precise, and aromatic element of architecture. It is the firm yet yielding texture under stockinged feet, the faint, sweet scent of dried grass released underfoot, and the precise geometry of shadows cast across its woven border at dusk—a measured plane upon which an entire culture of sitting, sleeping, and social order was built.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 畳 (tatami).
noun
- Straw matting, in a standard size, used as a floor covering in Japanese houses.“Heny Hankovitch, con guítar, / did a short Zen pray, / on his tatami in a relaxed lotos / fixin his mind on nuffin, rose-blue breasts,”
- A unit of area equal to a standard-sized tatami mat, approximately 1.65 square metres.