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cotton on to

 - 3 dictionary results

cot⋅ton

[kot-n]
–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.
8. cotton to or 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; ME coton < OF < OIt cotone < Ar qutun, var. of qutn
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

cotton  (v.)
"to get on with" (usually with to), 1567, perhaps from Welsh cytuno "consent, agree." But perhaps also a metaphor from cloth finishing and thus from cotton (n.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cot·ton
Pronunciation: 'kät-&n
Function: noun
often attributive 1 : a soft usually white fibroussubstance composed of the hairs surrounding the seeds of various erect freely branching tropical plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family and used extensively in making threads, yarns, andfabrics (as in surgical dressings)
2 : a plant producing cotton; especially : one grown for its cotton
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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