Link Centre Dictionary

cotton

cot·ton

UK/ˈkɒt.n̩/ US/ˈkʰɒt.n̩/ common
noun (4) verb (1)

noun

1.

silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

Synonyms
2.

fabric woven from cotton fibers

Synonyms
3.

erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers

Synonyms
4.

thread made of cotton fibers

verb

1.

take a liking to

  • “cotton to something”

Origin

First use appears c. the 1560s, either from Welsh cydun, cytun (“agree, coincide”) (cyduno, cytuno), from cyd, cyt + un (“one”), literally “to be at one with”, or by metaphor with the textile, as cotton blended well with other textiles, notably wool in hat-making.

Phrases

  • absorbent cotton
  • balloon cotton
  • black cotton soil
  • bless my cotton socks
  • bless someone's cotton socks
  • bless someone's little cotton socks
  • bog cotton
  • cotton ball
  • Far Cotton

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.