The triclinium was named after the three couches typically found in the dining rooms of upper-class Romans. The triclinium was the Roman dining room. The introduction of the Greek practice of reclining when eating, the triclinium was set aside as a room especially for dining in. In fact, in many houses once would find several triclinia, rooms designated as dining areas, allowing the family a choice of which room to eat in on any particular day. The lectus, or couch, was an all-purpose piece of furniture. Usually made of wood with bronze adornments, the open bottom was crisscrossed with leather straps, which supported stuffed cushions. Different sizes and shapes of lecti were used for sleeping, conversing, and dining. Dining couches were fairly wide, for each couch held three diners, who reclined on their left side resting on large cushions while slaves served them multi-course meals.