cotton

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: Cot=ton

CIDE DICTIONARY

cotton, n. [F. coton, Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. Acton, Hacqueton.].

•  A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.  [1913 Webster]
•  The cotton plant. See Cotten plant, below.  [1913 Webster]
•  Cloth made of cotton.  [1913 Webster]

  " Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cotton bagging; cotton cloth; cotton goods; cotton industry; cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick."  [1913 Webster]

Cotton cambric. See Cambric, n., 2. -- Cotton flannel, the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it is called swan's-down cotton, or Canton flannel. -- Cotton gin, a machine to separate the seeds from cotton, invented by Eli Whitney. -- Cotton grass (Bot.), a genus of plants (Eriphorum) of the Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton. -- Cotton mouse (Zool.), a field mouse (Hesperomys gossypinus), injurious to cotton crops. -- Cotton plant (Bot.), a plant of the genus Gossypium, of several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally Asiatic, is Gossypium herbaceum. -- Cotton press, a building and machinery in which cotton bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a press for baling cotton. -- Cotton rose (Bot.), a genus of composite herbs (Filago), covered with a white substance resembling cotton. -- Cotton scale (Zoöl.), a species of bark louse (Pulvinaria innumerabilis), which does great damage to the cotton plant. -- Cotton shrub. Same as Cotton plant. -- Cotton stainer (Zoöl.), a species of hemipterous insect (Dysdercus suturellus), which seriously damages growing cotton by staining it; -- called also redbug. -- Cotton thistle (Bot.), the Scotch thistle. See under Thistle. -- Cotton velvet, velvet in which the warp and woof are both of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made wholly of cotton. -- Cotton waste, the refuse of cotton mills. -- Cotton wool, cotton in its raw or woolly state. -- Cotton worm (Zool.), a lepidopterous insect (Aletia argillacea), which in the larval state does great damage to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on corn, etc., and hence is often called corn worm, and Southern army worm.

cotton, v. i. 

•  To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does.  [1913 Webster]

  "It cottons well; it can not choose but bear
  A pretty nap."  [1913 Webster]
•  To go on prosperously; to succeed.  [1913 Webster]

  "New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I would?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed by with.  [1913 Webster]

  "A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off, in which case it will not be easy to cotton with another."  [1913 Webster]

  "Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in with his beggarly companion?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used with to.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

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).

Idiom

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.

Derivative

cottony adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF coton f. Arab. kutn

THESAURUS

cotton

Ace bandage, Aralac, Avisco, Axminster, Band-Aid, Celanese, Chemstrand, Dacron, Dynel, Georgette, Harris Tweed, Lastex, Leatherette, Manila, Orlon, Qiana, Revolite, Terylene, Ultrasuede, Velon, Vicara, acetate, acetate rayon, adhesive tape, alpaca, angora, application, arras, astrakhan, baize, band, bandage, bandaging, bast, batik, binder, blanketing, brace, broadcloth, broadloom, brocade, bunting, calico, cambric, canvas, carpeting, cashmere, cast, castor, cataplasm, cheesecloth, chiffon, chinchilla, chintz, coating, coir, compress, cord, corduroy, court plaster, crash, cravat, crepe, crepe de chine, cretonne, crinoline, damask, denim, doeskin, dressing, drill, drilling, drugget, duck, duffel, elastic bandage, epithem, felt, flannel, flannelette, flax, fleece, floss, foulard, four-tailed bandage, frieze, fustian, gauze, gingham, gossamer, grenadine, grogram, grosgrain, gunny, haircloth, hemp, herringbone, hessian, homespun, hop sacking, horsehair, huck, huckaback, jersey, jute, kapok, lame, lawn, linen, linoleum, linsey-woolsey, lint, lisle, list, llama hair, loden, longcloth, luster, mackinaw, mackintosh, madras, maline, manta, mantua, marquisette, mat, matting, melton, merino, messaline, mohair, moire, moleskin, mousseline de soie, murrey, muslin, nainsook, nankeen, near-silk, net, netting, nylon, oakum, oil silk, oilcloth, organdy, organza, paisley, panne, panne velvet, pepper-and-salt, percale, pique, plaid, plaster, plaster cast, pledget, plush, polyester, pongee, poplin, poultice, print, quilting, radium, raffia, rayon, rayon casheen, rep, roller, roller bandage, rubber bandage, rugging, russet, sackcloth, sacking, sailcloth, sarcenet, sateen, satin, say, seersucker, serge, shalloon, shantung, sharkskin, sheers, sheeting, shoddy, shot silk, silk, sisal, sling, spandex, splint, sponge, spun rayon, stamin, stammel, stockinette, stuff, stupe, suede, swansdown, tabaret, tabby, taffeta, taffety, tampon, tape, tapestry, tarpaulin, tartan, tent, terry cloth, tick, ticking, tourniquet, triangular bandage, tricotine, tulle, tussah, tussore, tweed, twill, veiling, velours, velure, velvet, velveteen, voile, wash-and-wear fabric, watered fabric, webbing, wool, worsted, yarn, zephyr

ROGET THESAURUS

cotton

Filament

N filament, line, fiber, fibril, funicle, vein, hair, capillament, cilium, cilia, pilus, pili, tendril, gossamer, hair stroke, veinlet, venula, venule, wire, string, thread, packthread, cotton, sewing silk, twine, twist, whipcord, tape, ribbon, cord, rope, yarn, hemp, oakum, jute, strip, shred, slip, spill, list, band, fillet, fascia, ribbon, riband, roll, lath, splinter, shiver, shaving, beard, ramification, strand, filamentous, filamentiferous, filaceous, filiform, fibrous, fibrillous, thread-like, wiry, stringy, ropy, capillary, capilliform, funicular, wire-drawn, anguilliform, flagelliform, hairy, taeniate, taeniform, taenioid, venose, venous.