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noun
1.
a soft, white, downy substance consisting of the hairs or fibers attached to the seeds of plants belonging to the genus Gossypium, of the mallow family, used in making fabrics, thread, wadding, etc.
2.
the plant itself, having spreading branches and broad, lobed leaves.
3.
such plants collectively as a cultivated crop.
4.
cloth, thread, a garment, etc., of cotton.
5.
any soft, downy substance resembling cotton, but growing on other plants.
verb (used without object)
6.
Informal. to get on well together; agree.
7.
Obsolete. to prosper or succeed.
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Cotton
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
| chat, to converse |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
8.
cotton (on) to, Informal.
a.
to become fond of; begin to like.
b.
to approve of; agree with: to cotton to a suggestion.
c.
to come to a full understanding of; grasp: More and more firms are cottoning on to the advantages of using computers.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English coton < Old French < Old Italian cotone < Arabic qutun, variant of qutn
1250–1300; Middle English coton < Old French < Old Italian cotone < Arabic qutun, variant of qutn
Related forms
half-cot·ton, adjective
sem·i·cot·ton, noun
un·cot·toned, adjective
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To cotton
Collins
World English Dictionary
| cotton (ˈkɒtən) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | See also sea-island cotton any of various herbaceous plants and shrubs of the malvaceous genus Gossypium, such as sea-island cotton, cultivated in warm climates for the fibre surrounding the seeds and the oil within the seeds |
| 2. | the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles |
| 3. | cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop |
| 4. | a. a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres |
| b. (as modifier): a cotton dress | |
| 5. | any substance, such as kapok (silk cotton), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants |
| [C14: from Old French coton, from Arabic dialect qutun, from Arabic qutn] | |
| 'cottony | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cotton
late 13c., from O.Fr. coton, ult. (via Prov., It., or O.Sp.) from Arabic qutn, perhaps of Egyptian origin. Philip Miller of the Chelsea Physic Garden sent the first cotton seeds to American colony of Georgia in 1732. Cotton-picking was first recorded in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but the noun meaning "contemptible
EXPANDperson" dates to around 1919, probably with racist overtones that have faded over the years. Cotton gin is recorded from 1794.
cotton
"to get on with" someone (usually with to), 1560s, perhaps from Welsh cytuno "consent, agree." But perhaps also a metaphor from cloth finishing and thus from cotton (n.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Images for cotton
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