"quilt, coverlet, outer covering of a bed," c. 1600, alteration of earlier counterpoynte (mid-15c.; see counterpoint (n.1)) by influence of French pan "section, piece," from Latin pannus "cloth" (see pane) "in allusion to the panes or squares of which bed covers are often composed" [Century Dictionary].
Entries linking to counterpane
counterpoint n.1
"quilted coverlet," late 15c., early 15c. in Anglo-French, from Old French (cuilte) contrepointe "(quilt) stitched through and through" (15c.), altered (by substitution of contre) from coute pointe, from Medieval Latin culcita puncta "quilted mattress," from Latin culcita "cushion" + puncta, fem. past participle of pungere "to prick, stab" (from suffixed form of PIE root *peuk- "to prick"). As a verb, "quilt by stitching together two pieces of cloth," from 1590s.
pane n.
mid-13c., "garment, cloak, mantle; a part of a garment;" later "side of a building, section of a wall," from Old French pan "section, piece, panel" (11c.) and directly from Latin pannum (nominative pannus) "piece of cloth, garment," possibly from PIE root *pan- "fabric" (source also of Gothic fana "piece of cloth," Greek pēnos "web," Old English fanna "flag"). De Vaan writes, "If the Gr. and Gm. words listed are related, they probably represent loanwords from an unknown source."
From late 14c. as "section of a wall," also "ornamental hanging, coverlet," and c. 1400 as "a bedspread." The general notion in the word is "distinct part or piece of a surface." Sense of "piece of glass inserted in a window" is attested by mid-15c.
