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cotton to

 - 5 dictionary results

cot⋅ton

  [kot-n]
Use cotton to in a Sentence
–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.
—Verb phrase
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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Cultural Dictionary

cotton to

To take a liking to someone or something: “I was afraid Janet wouldn't like my brother, but she cottoned to him immediately.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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Idioms & Phrases

cotton to

  1. Take a liking to, get along with, as in This dog doesn't cotton to strangers. Although this verbal phrase comes from the noun for the fabric, the semantic connection between these parts of speech is unclear. [Early 1800s]

  2. Also, cotton on to. Come to understand, grasp, as in She didn't really cotton on to what I was saying. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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