cotton

cotton
n. & v.
—n.
1 a soft white fibrous substance covering the seeds of certain plants.
2 a (in full cotton plant) such a plant, esp. any of the genus Gossypium. b cotton-plants cultivated as a crop for the fibre or the seeds.
3 thread or cloth made from the fibre.
4 (attrib.) made of cotton.
—v.intr. (foll. by to) be attracted by (a person).
Phrases and idioms:
cotton-cake compressed cotton seed used as food for cattle. cotton candy US candyfloss. cotton-gin a machine for separating cotton from its seeds. cotton-grass any grasslike plant of the genus Eriophorum, with long white silky hairs. cotton on (often foll. by to) colloq. begin to understand. cotton-picking US sl. unpleasant, wretched. cotton waste refuse yarn used to clean machinery etc. cotton wool
1 esp. Brit. fluffy wadding of a kind orig. made from raw cotton.
2 US raw cotton.
Derivatives:
cottony adj.
Etymology: ME f. OF coton f. Arab. kutn

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cotton — Cot ton (k[o^]t t n), n. [F. coton, Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. {Acton}, {Hacqueton}.] 1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cotton — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Aimé Cotton (1869–1951), französischer Physiker Annie Cotton (* 1975), kanadische Sängerin und Schauspielerin Antony Cotton (* 1975), britischer Schauspieler Aylett R. Cotton (1826–1912), US amerikanischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cotton On — Group Type Privately owned Industry Fashion Founded Geelong, Australia Headquarters Geelong, Australia Key people Nigel Austin …   Wikipedia

  • COTTON (A. A.) — COTTON AIMÉ AUGUSTE (1869 1951) Né à Bourg en Bresse, élève à l’École normale supérieure de 1890 à 1893, Aimé Auguste Cotton y enseigna de 1900 à 1922, après avoir été professeur à la faculté des sciences de Toulouse de 1895 à 1900. De 1920 à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • COTTON (J.) — COTTON JOHN (1584 1652) Le pasteur puritain qui allait devenir la plus grande figure de «la Plantation du Seigneur» en Nouvelle Angleterre est né en 1584. Le mouvement qui milite pour que l’Église d’Angleterre extirpe d’elle même les «reliques du …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • cotton — [kät′ n] n. [ME cotoun < OFr coton < (? via It cotone) Ar quṭun < ? Egypt] 1. the soft, white seed hairs filling the seedpods of various shrubby plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family, originally native to the tropics 2. a plant… …   English World dictionary

  • cotton to — ˈcotton to [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they cotton to he/she/it cottons to present participle cottoning to past tense cottoned to p …   Useful english dictionary

  • COTTON — COTTON, plant mentioned under the name karpas (derived from the Sanskrit karpasa) in the Book of Esther (1:6) in the description of the magnificent ornamentation of Ahasuerus palace. In the Mishnah cotton is called ẓemer gefen ( vine wool ) as… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cotton — Cotton, Robert Bruce * * * (as used in expressions) Cotton Belt Cotton Club Cotton, John Cotton, sir Robert Bruce King Cotton Mather, Cotton …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cotton — Cot ton, v. i. 1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty nap. Family of Love. [1913 Webster] 2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] New,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cotton — ● cotton nom masculin (de W. Cotton, nom propre) Métier rectiligne qui tricote simultanément plusieurs panneaux avec augmentations et diminutions. Cotton (Aimé) (1869 1951) physicien français, spécialiste d électromagnétisme …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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