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cotton

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒt(ə)n/

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Definition of cotton

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1a soft white fibrous substance which surrounds the seeds of the cotton plant and is made into textile fibre and thread for sewing: a cargo of cotton and wheat
  • [often as modifier] textile fabric made from cotton fibre:a white cotton blouse
  • thread made from cotton fibre: [as modifier]:a cotton reel
  • North American cotton wool.
  • 2 (also cotton plant) the tropical and subtropical plant which is commercially grown to make cotton fabric and thread. Oil and a protein-rich flour are also obtained from the seeds.
    • Genus Gossypium, family Malvaceae: many species and forms

verb

[no object] informal
  • 1 (cotton on) begin to understand:he cottoned on to what I was trying to say
  • 2 (cotton to) North American have a liking for:his rivals didn’t cotton to all the attention he was getting

Derivatives

cottony

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French coton, from Arabic quṭn

cotton in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cotton in the US English dictionary

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