cottonn.1
/ˈkɒtn/, U.S. /ˈkɑtn/ 1. † b. plural. Also to tread on cottons: to go softly. Obsolete.† c. ? A piece of cotton-wool. Obsolete.† d. The fibre used for the wick of candles; a candle-wick. Obsolete.
a. The white fibrous substance, soft and downy like wool, which clothes the seeds of the cotton-plant (Gossypium); used (more extensively than any other material) for making cloth and thread, and for various purposes in the arts.An early use in Europe was for the padding of jerkins worn under mail, and the stuffing of cushions, mattresses, etc.
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1300 Siege of Caerlaverock (1828) 72 Maint riche gamboison garni De soie et cadas et coton.
1381–2 Compotus Earl of Derby (Hen. IV) f. 2 (MS,) 1 lb. fiɫ de coton..16 d.—6 lbs. coton, 4 s.]
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xix. 212 Theise men ben the beste worcheres of gold, Syluer, Cotoun, Sylk.
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xxxi. 142 Þare er treez þat berez cotoun.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 96 Cotune [1499 Pynson, coton], bombicinum.
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde i. ii. f. 5v Mattresses made of the cotton of the gossampine trees.
1598 R. Hakluyt tr. W. de Rubruquis in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 93 Cloathes made of cotton or bombast.
1622 G. Wither Faire-virtue sig. Ev He..Softer finds those beds of loue, Then the Cotton ripest growne.
1747 J. Wesley Primitive Physick 104 Put into the hollow Tooth, a little Cotton, dipt in Lucatelli's Balsam.
1868 J. E. T. Rogers Man. Polit. Econ. (1876) xiv. 195 In 1860, about 621,000 tons of raw cotton were imported into the United Kingdom.
1872 D. Oliver Lessons Elem. Bot. (new ed.) ii. 151 The commercial value of Cotton depends upon the length and tenacity of these hair-cells.
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1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 137 Trees also here be that do bring forth cottens.
1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xvi. sig. Lv As for Man: it [sc. the Gospel] teaches him to tread on Cottons, mild's his wilder temper.
1638 L. Roberts Merchants Mappe of Commerce 193 The commodities that this place at first affoorded..were..Aniseeds, Cottons, Galles.
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1610 G. Markham Maister-peece ii. cxxix. 431 Other Farriers take of Gipsiacum the strongest kind, and lay it on the excression with a cotton.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick > made of cotton or cotton for making
cotton1466
cotton-wick1678
1290 Compotus Bolton Abbey in T. D. Whitaker Hist. Craven 326 In sapo et Cotoun ad Candelam.]
1466 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 213 For makenge of candelle and for cotone to the same, xxiij. d.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 209/1 Cotton for weke, cotton.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Lucignoli..weekes or cottons of candles.
e. Colloquial phrase (U.S.): to spit cotton, to spit white, cottony saliva; to be very thirsty; to have a dry mouth; also figurative, to be very angry.
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the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > be thirsty [verb (intransitive)] > be extremely thirsty
to spit cotton1825
to spit chips1901
to be gasping1958
the mind > emotion > anger > furious anger > to rage (of fury) [verb (intransitive)] > be or become furious
wedec1000
resea1250
ragea1400
rampc1405
rase1440
outragea1475
stampc1480
enragec1515
ournc1540
gry1594
fury1628
rampage1692
to stamp one's foot1821
to fire off1848
foam1852
fire1859
to stomp one's feetc1927
to spit chips1947
to spit cotton1947
to spit blood1963
to go ballistic1981
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan II. xxv. 391 Spit a little cotton or so..and you'll see the fun.
1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan II. xxv. 392 We'll see who spits cotton first.
1851 J. B. Lamar et al. Polly Peablossom's Wedding & Other Tales 179 He awoke spitting little wads of cotton, his mouth being as dry and dusty as Broadway in fly-time.
1899 B. W. Green Word-bk. Virginia Folk-speech 354 When one is very thirsty and his mouth dry the spittle white and sticky he is said to ‘spit-cotton’.
1947 Chicago Daily News 14 June 6/3 The Kansas City vote frauds..have Attorney General Tom Clark spitting cotton, they believe.
2. The cotton-plant; the genus Gossypium. Also, cotton-plants collectively, as a cultivated crop.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > cotton-plant
cottonc1400
cotton-bush1672
cotton plant1751
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) xxviii. 288 In that contree..men putten in werke the sede of cotoun.
1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 12v Cotton is a small busshy herbe wyth a lefe lyke a vinde, but lesse.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 754 The seede of Cotton..is hot and moist.
1636 W. Davenant Platonick Lovers v. i. sig.K You shall to the Bermudoes, Friend, and there Plant Cotton.
1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxiv. 344 The exterior calyx in Cotton and Lavatera is trifid.
1858 R. Hogg Veg. Kingdom 105 Gossypium herbaceum, or Common Cotton, is the species which is most generally cultivated.
1858 R. Hogg Veg. Kingdom 106 G. arboreum is the Tree Cotton..a shrub growing from four to ten feet high.
3. Thread spun from cotton yarn, used for sewing garments and for weaving bobbin-net; also called sewing-cotton; in full cotton thread.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > cotton > sewing cotton
sewing cotton1826
cotton1848
1848 A. Brontë Tenant of Wildfell Hall I. ii. 40 To pick up the ball of cotton, that had rolled under the table.
1877 Willcox & Gibbs' Direct. for Sewing Machines 13 Where 40 cotton would be used in hand sewing, use 60 or 70 cotton on the machine..Soft finished black and coloured cottons will often break..Use glacé cotton in place of linen thread.
1892 (reel-label) Best six-cord 24 Sewing-machine Cotton, twopenny reel.
4. Cloth or other fabric made of cotton; in plural cotton fabrics, also cotton clothes or garments.See calico n. 2b (The first two quots. apparently belong here.)
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun]
cotton14..
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > cotton > [noun]
bombace1553
bombazine1555
bombice1559
wood-wool1559
bombast1568
bombasie1576
cotton wool1589
cottona1625
cotton wools1638
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > made from specific material > cotton
cotton1822
14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 629 Bumbicinium, kotyn or pakclothe.
c1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 935 Looke þer be blanket, cotyn, or lynyn to wipe þe neþur ende.
1590 E. Webbe Rare & Wonderfull Things (new ed.) sig. Bv A shert of Cotten and breeches of the same.
a1625 J. Fletcher Wit without Money (1639) iii. sig. F2 Cloth of Silver turned into Spanish Cottens for a pennance.
1797 E. Burke Lett. Peace Regic. France iii, in Wks. (1815) VIII. 389 Our woollens and cottons, it is true, are not all for the home market.
1822 J. Flint Lett. from Amer. 21 The seamen..dressed in striped cottons.
1842 J. Bischoff Woollen Manuf. (1862) II. 179 I think cotton is a more economical wear than woollen; the practice of wearing cotton has grown very much within the last six or seven years.
1887 ‘M. Wetheral’ Two North-country Maids xxiv. 171 The blue cottons she mostly wore were washed out.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > fustian > pile of
cotton1495
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 27 They strike and drawe the seid Irons over the seid Fustians unshorne, by meanes wherof they pull of both the noppe and the coton of the same Fustians.
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 27 And also they rayse vp the cotton of such Fustians, and then take a light candle and set in the Fustian burning, which sengeth and burneth away the cotton..downe to the hard threds, in stead of shering.
6. transferred.† b. Down or soft hair growing on the body. Obsolete. rare. [So French coton = poil follet.] † c. attributive. Having (short) ‘cotton’ or soft hair. Obsolete.
a. A down resembling cotton growing on other plants.
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the world > plants > part of plant > hair or bristle > [noun] > downy covering
downa1382
woolc1400
cotton1551
frieze1640
dowl1661
tomentum1693
pubescence1760
pubes1772
shag1774
indumentum1847
shaggy hairs1884
1551 W. Turner Herball (1568) i. I j b The leues of centunculus haue both without [and within] a whyte wolle, or cottone.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. xii. 20 Which [the flowers of Folefoote] do suddenly fade, and chaunge into downe, or cotton, which is carried away with the winde.
1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden xiv. 28 It [the Quince-Tree] beareth the Name of..Cotonea, as some think from the down, which groweth upon the Fruit, which is called Cotton.
1847 Bewick's Hist. Brit. Birds (new ed.) I. 146 The nest is..bound to the twigs with the cotton of plants.
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. at Ochroma The cotton [of O. Lagopus] is used for stuffing pillows and cushions.
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1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 65 Pubes doeth more properly signifie the Downe or Cotton when it ariseth about those parts.
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1492 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 202 Quhyte smal cotton lamskynnis to lyne this gowne.
7. With qualifying word prefixed: corkwood cotton n. the silky down of Ochroma Lagopus (cf. silk-cotton n.). French cotton n. the silky down of Calotropis procera; also the plant itself. mineral cotton n. a metallic fibre, consisting of fine white threads, formed by sending a jet of steam through a stream of liquid slag as it runs from the furnace. Natal cotton n. a textile material obtained from the pods of a species of Batatas.† petty cotton n. Obsolete an old name for Gnaphalium and allied plants; also called small cotton.† philosophic cotton n. Obsolete a name for zinc oxide, when obtained as a white flocculent powder by burning zinc. wild cotton n. a name in Scotland for cotton-grass n. See also flax-cotton n. at flax n. Compounds 2a, gun-cotton n., lavender cotton n., silk-cotton n.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Compositae (composite plants) > [noun] > cudweeds
horewortc1400
chafeweed1548
chafewort1548
cudweed1548
cudwort1548
cartafilago1551
cottonweed1562
downweed1562
petty cotton1578
small cotton1578
file-wort1597
live forever1597
livelong1597
life-everlasting1629
white plantain1687
petty coy1736
cat's-foot1739
owl's crown1787
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. lxii. 90 Of Gnaphalion or Small Cotton..It may be called also Pety Cotton, or small Bombase: in French Petit Coton.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Philosophic Cotton, a name given by some chemical writers to the flowers of zink, from their whiteness, and silky or cottony appearance.
1808 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Wild Cotton, cotton-grass..Eriophorum polystachion, Linn.
Compounds
attributive and in other combinations. C1. attributive or adj. (without hyphen). Made of cotton: said of cloth, thread, garments, etc.; also in specific names of fabrics or materials, as cotton batting, cotton damask, cotton rep, cotton russet, cotton tick, cotton wadding, etc.
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1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Cotton clothe, xylinus pannus.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures ix. 27 Twenty pieces of Caracas, which are stained linnen, or Cotten Tapestry.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xiv. 384 The Cotton-cloath was to make Sails.
1752 Chambers's Cycl. (ed. 7) at Paper From the XIIth century, cotton MSS. are more frequent than parchment ones.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. iv. vii. 152 The muslins and other cotton goods of the East Indies. View more context for this quotation
1825 J. Bowring Autobiogr. Recoll. (1877) 319 Her hair tangled, a common cotton gown on.
1868 J. E. T. Rogers Man. Polit. Econ. (1876) iii. 26 Pieces of cotton cloth answer the purpose of a currency in Eastern Africa.
1874 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. I. 636/2 Cotton thread for sewing is made by laying together two or more yarns of equal quality and twisting them.
1883 [see cotton batting n. at Compounds 3]. C2. attributive and in general combinations (with or without hyphen).
a. Of or relating to the growing plant or crop. Also cotton-picker n., cotton-picking n.
(a)
cotton bed n.
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1833 B. Silliman Man. Sugar Cane 20 If the field has been planted the previous year in cotton, the cotton beds are shoved down into the alleys.
1858 J. A. Warder Hedges & Evergreens i. ii. 34 Break up the soil deeply,..and throw up the dirt in the same manner as if preparing a cotton-bed.
cotton bole n.
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1890 J. G. Frazer Golden Bough I. iii. 353 In the Punjaub..when the cotton boles begin to burst.
cotton crop n.
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1850 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin xxxvi You'll lose your bet on the cotton-crop.
cotton country n.
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1809 Deb. Congr. 7 June 2171 Baling linen sufficient for the consumption of the greater part of the cotton country.
cotton field n.
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1793 J. Morse Amer. Univ. Geogr. (new ed.) I. 616 Cotton-field.
1834 Southern Lit. Messenger 1 122 The cotton field and garden..lay on the one hand.
1861 L. L. Noble After Icebergs 23 The cotton-fields of Alabama.
cotton grove n.
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1757 J. Dyer Fleece ii. 103 (Jodrell) Who plant the cotton-grove by Ganges' stream.
cotton-hoe n.
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1869 Overland Monthly 3 11 Seventy huge, clumsy cotton-hoes rose and fell in thoughtless machine-work.
cotton-plantation n.
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1819 E. Dana Geogr. Sketches Western Country 174 Spacious cotton plantations.
cotton pod n.
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1890 in Frazer Gold. Bough I. iii. 353 Bhogla, a name sometimes given [in the Punjaub] to a large cotton-pod.
cotton straw n.
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1883 H. W. V. Stuart Egypt 66 Fields of green crops, or dourra stubble, or cotton straw.
(b)
cotton-grower n.
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1860 Sat. Rev. 9 65/2 The cotton growers of Louisiana.
cotton-planter n.
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1808 Deb. Congr. (1853) 2 Dec. 658 What say the cotton planters, than whom none are more interested in foreign commerce?
1837 Southern Lit. Messenger 3 678 Our negroes are almost as valuable to our modern novelists as to our cotton planter.
1840 Ann. Reg. 1839 68 Several..gentlemen, brought up as cotton-planters in the United States.
(c)
cotton-growing n. and adj.
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1821 Amer. State Papers, Finance (1834) III. 598 There is scarcely a currency left, except in the cotton growing States.
1847 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1846 35 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (29th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 52) III We of the cotton-growing region..are determined to sustain you.
1864 R. L. De Coin Hist. & Cult. Cotton & Tobacco 68 The cotton-growing states of America.
cotton-planting n. and adj.
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1811 M. L. Weems Lett. III. 47 The busiest season of all the year, Cotton planting.
cotton-producing n. and adj.
(d)
cotton-like adj.
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1789 G. White Let. in Nat. Hist. Selborne 266 A cotton-like substance, surrounding a multitude of eggs.
1861 Illustr. London News 18 May 476/2 The fibre is cottonized—i.e., disintegrated, and made to form a cottonlike mass.
b. Of or relating to cotton as a commercial product or material. Also cotton-spinner n., cotton-spinning n. and adj. at cotton-spinner n. Derivatives.
(a)
cotton bale n.
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1840 Knickerbocker Mag. 16 112 I could..lie down on the ground, or a cotton-bale, or a bench, and repose.
1850 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin xiv Piled with cotton-bales, the steamer moved heavily onward.
1894 Amer. Ann. Photogr. 24 The cloud well known as ‘cotton-bales’, or ‘thunder-heads’ we term cumulus.
cotton-broker n.
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1811 London P.O. Direct. 164 Cotton broker.
1851 A. O. Hall Manhattaner 31 Yonder is the cotton broker, with the fluctuations of the market for a ten years past all penciled on his face.
cotton-card n.
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1782 in G. Bancroft Hist. U.S. (1876) VI. lvii. 468 Wool-cards, cotton-cards, and wire for making them.
cotton-dyer n.
cotton factor n.
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1857 Texas Almanac (advt.) Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants.
1870 J. K. Medbery Men & Myst. Wall St. 336 All our great grain-merchants, cotton-factors..do the same.
cotton factory n.
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1802 Act 42 Geo. III c. 73 An Act for the Preservation of the health and morals of apprentices and others, employed in..cotton and other factories.
1827 B. Drake & E. D. Mansfield Cincinnati viii. 65 Two Woolen and Cotton Factories.
1834 Southern Lit. Messenger 1 157 The greater part..are attached to a cotton factory, but recently erected.
1859 S. Smiles Self-help 32 James Hargreaves..was a poor weaver employed in a cotton factory at Standhill.
cotton fuzz n.
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1839 T. Carlyle Chartism viii. 83 Manchester, with its cotton-fuz, its smoke and dust.
cotton-jenny n.
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1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 175 The clove originally used by Hargreave in his cotton-jenny.
cotton manufactory n.
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1792 Gentleman's Mag. 62 ii. 863 The establishment of Cotton Manufactories.
1849 E. Chamberlain Indiana Gazetteer 339 One cotton manufactory employing about 100 hands.
cotton manufacture n.
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1886 J. Morley W. R. Greg in Crit. Misc. III. 235 The wonderful machinery of the cotton manufacture.
cotton-manufacturer n.
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1783 Brotherston Specif. Patent 1357 1 Peter Brotherston, of Pennycuick, Cotton Manufacturer.
cotton market n.
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1808 Deb. Congr. Nov. 106 The operations in our cotton market during the whole of last month have been immense.
1877 E. S. Phelps Story of Avis 224 What is it..that has happened to the cotton-market?
cotton-mule n.
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1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits v. 97 The cotton-mule of Roberts.
cotton-operative n.
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1863 H. Fawcett Man. Polit. Econ. ii. iv. 171 The skill of a cotton-operative.
cotton-reel n.
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1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind vi. 113 A wooden brick or a cotton-reel.
cotton trade n.
cotton-weaving n.
cotton-worker n.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > spinning > one who > spins cotton
cotton-spinner1805
cotton-worker1826
cottoneer1843
1826 in W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 23 Sept. 798 To make the Irish cotton-workers would infallibly make them happy!
1862 T. Guthrie Pract. Sympathy (1863) 23 The suffering cotton-workers are not guilty.
cotton-works n.
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1806 R. Forsyth Beauties Scotl. IV. 352 Several cotton-works have been attempted, but have not been successful.
(b)
cotton-clad adj.
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1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 31 Dec. 1/2 The natives of the New Hebrides have been converted from naked cannibals into cotton-clad Christians.
cotton-covered adj.
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1925 P. J. Risdon Crystal Receivers & Circuits iii. 36 For the amateur, cotton-covered wire is perhaps the most suitable.
cotton-wrapped adj.
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1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers (London ed.) 174 All the dark-faced, cotton-wrapped people.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 23 Feb. 2/2 Cotton-wrapped wire.
C3. Special combinations. † cotton-bond n. Obsolete (see quot.).† cotton candle n. Obsolete a candle with a cotton wick (see candle n. 1). † cotton-pencil n. Obsolete a pencil or brush made of cotton.
cotton-backed adj. (of velvet and other fabrics) having a back or web of cotton.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from mixed fibres > [adjective] > specific
diaper1497
linsey-woolseya1631
satinette1703
poplin1707
gambroon1812
crinoline1843
cotton-backed1881
fulgurante1922
ottoman1995
1881 M. A. Lewis Two Pretty Girls III. 214 Beatrix in the glories of white cotton-backed satin.
1891 Daily News 24 Sept. 5/4 No one, however, objects to the various velveteen ladies..in cotton-backed velvet gowns.
cotton-bagging n. a coarse wrapping material used for baling cotton-wool (Simmonds Dict. Trade Prod.).
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1806 R. Forsyth Beauties Scotl. IV. 352 A considerable quantity of..cotton-bagging is annually made for exportation.
cotton bat n. originally U.S. a thin sheet or roll of carded cotton; surgical cotton.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > lint, cotton, etc.
lintc1400
caddis1738
charpie1797
cotton batting1827
cotton bat1847
stypium1871
Gamgee (formerly also Gamgee's) tissue1883
tenax1889
Gamgee1890
peat wool1895
Thermogene1902
1847 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1846 35 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (29th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 52) III These are nothing more than a thick layer of cotton, carded into what are called at the north ‘cotton bats’.
cotton batting n. = cotton bat n.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > lint, cotton, etc.
lintc1400
caddis1738
charpie1797
cotton batting1827
cotton bat1847
stypium1871
Gamgee (formerly also Gamgee's) tissue1883
tenax1889
Gamgee1890
peat wool1895
Thermogene1902
1827 Hartford (Connecticut) Mirror 31 Dec. 1/2 (advt.) Irish Linens—Cotton batting old price 10 cts lb.
1846 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1845 67 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (29th Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 140) IV Cotton batting.—One patent has been granted this year for improvements in the manufacture of this fabric.
1850 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1849: Agric. 188 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (31st Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 20, Pt. 2) VI We have put down both the Isabella and the Clinton [grapes] in cotton-batting, and kept them fresh until February.
1883 Cent. Mag. Oct. 819/2 Filtered through six layers of cotton batting.
1934 H. Miller Tropic of Cancer 125 I'd like to..go to a hospital... They wash you with cotton batting and they comb your hair for you.
1967 Everyman's Encycl. (ed. 5) IV. 121/1 Prepared sheets or rolls of it are used like cotton batting for stuffing and quilting.
cotton belt n. U.S. the area in which cotton is grown (see belt n.1 10b).
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the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land raising crops > [noun] > cotton land
cotton belt1871
1871 R. Somers Southern States 257 In many other parts of the ‘Cotton Belt’.
1897 Lippincott's Monthly Mag. May 688 The Cotton Belt embracing the heart of the Southern country.
1952 Manch. Guardian Weekly 31 July 7 A tenant farmer's son from the cotton belt.
cotton-boll weevil n. (see boll-weevil n. at boll n.1 Compounds).
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1865 Morning Star 6 Feb. What do you mean by Cotton Bonds? Witness: Certificates of the Confederate Government representing say twenty bales of cotton worth so much money.
cotton-bush n. (a) a bush on which cotton grows; (b) any of various Australian shrubs (esp. Kochia aphylla) having a downy appearance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > cotton-plant
cottonc1400
cotton-bush1672
cotton plant1751
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > shrubs > non-British shrubs > [noun] > Australasian
banksia1787
waratah1793
honeysuckle1803
pinkwood1824
honeysuckle tree1825
rose1825
blue bush1828
dogwood1828
parrotbill1829
tulip-tree1830
whitebeard1832
swamp-oak1833
bauera1835
mungitec1837
bottlebrush1839
clianthus1841
glory-pea1848
boronia1852
koromiko1855
pituri1861
Sturt's pea1865
scrub vine1866
pea-bush1867
cotton-bush1876
Australian honeysuckle1881
peach myrtle1882
saloop bush1884
naupaka1888
dog rose1896
native tulip1898
snow bush1909
wedding-bush1923
Hebe1961
mountain pepper1965
1672 W. Hughes Amer. Physitian 70 Of cotton-bushes there are two sorts.
1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. li. 414 The Bombast and Cotton Bushes.
1756 P. Browne Civil & Nat. Hist. Jamaica ii. iii. 435 The caterpillars of these flies are frequently pernicious to the cotton-bushes.
1876 J. A. Giles in W. Harcus South Australia 201 A fine open hilly district..with plenty of herbage and cotton-bush.
1902 J. H. M. Abbott Tommy Cornstalk 20 The species of salt-bush known in Australia as ‘cotton-bush’.
1941 F. D. Davison in Coast to Coast 1941 104 He memorized the position of a couple of cotton bushes.
cotton-cake n. a mass of compressed cotton seed from which the oil has been extracted, used (like linseed cake) for feeding cattle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animal food > [noun] > fodder > cake
oilcake1504
cake1650
rapeseed cake1651
linseed cake1813
poonac1843
seed cake1848
oil meal1851
cotton-cake1891
1891 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 3rd Ser. 2 837 Undecorticated cotton-cakes.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > with a specific type of wick
cotton candle1587
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1376/2 One pound of cotton candels.
1606 Wily Beguilde Prol. 1 Why noble Cerberus, nothing but..cotten-candle eloquence?
cotton-chopper n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1874 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Cotton-chopper, an implement which is drawn over a drilled row of cotton-plants, and chops gaps in the row so as to leave the plants in bunches or hills.
cotton-cleaner n. a machine for cleaning cotton by the operations of scutching, blowing, etc.
cotton count n. the standard of fineness of cotton (cf. count n.1 2b).
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > cotton > measure or quantity of
cotton count1904
1904 G. F. Goodchild & C. F. Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 135/1 Cotton counts are based on the number of hanks of 840 yds. in 1 lb.
cotton drill n. a coarse cotton fabric.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > coarse
humhum1620
Surat1643
negannepaut1725
drill1743
cottonade1803
manta1848
sponge cloth1862
cotton drill1899
1899 Daily News 16 Oct. 6/6 The drab, cotton-drill khaki.
Categories »
cotton-elevator n. a tube through which cotton is carried to the upper stories of a cotton-mill by means of an air-blast or spiked straps.
cotton famine n. the failure of the supply of cotton to English mills which was caused by the blockade of the Southern ports during the American Civil War.
ΚΠ
1863 Morning Star 1 Jan. 6 The rapid extension of distress in the manufacturing districts of the North through what is justly called ‘the cotton famine’.
cotton-fish n. = milkfish n. at milk n.1 and adj. Compounds 3a (the sense in quot. 1851 is uncertain).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > subclass Actinopterygii > order Clupeiformes > [noun] > family Clupeidae and herrings > miscellaneous types
pilchard1637
gerooma1705
cotton-fish1851
sprat1871
maray1882
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Echinodermata > [noun] > subphylum Eleutherozoa > class Holothurioidea > order Actinopoda > member of genus Holothuria
sea-slug1779
swallo1779
trepang1783
sea-swallow1802
bêche-de-mer1814
cotton-fish1851
cotton-spinner1908
1851 De Bow's Rev. July 56 A list of the Fishes.. Gaspagon; Cotton Fish; Trout [etc.].
1880 Proc. Linn. Soc. New S. Wales 5 128 Another species [of Trepang] is the ‘milk fish’, or ‘cotton fish’, so called from its power of emitting a white viscid fluid.., which clings to any object like shreds of cotton.
cotton flannel n. a strong cotton fabric with a long plush nap, also called cotton plush and Canton flannel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > with nap > cotton plush
swan's-down1801
cotton flannel1845
Canton flannel1860
1845 Mass. Stat. 21 Mar. Number of yards of cotton flannel manufactured. Value of cotton flannel.
1867 A. D. Whitney Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life ix. 160 She came back, bringing some two or three pairs of cotton-flannel drawers.
1890 Art Interchange 20 Dec. 210/2 The beautifully coloured cotton flannels, now called cotton plush in the shops, have a soft satiny appearance.
cotton-floater n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Cotton-floaters, an India-rubber envelope or casing, in which bales of cotton are floated down some of the American rivers.
cotton-fly n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1756 P. Browne Civil & Nat. Hist. Jamaica ii. iii. 435 Bruchus... The Cotton-Fly. This little insect is chiefly of a scarlet colour... The caterpillars of these flies are frequently pernicious to the cotton-bushes.
cotton gin n. a machine for freeing cotton-wool from the seeds; also, a building in which cotton is ginned.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing cotton > [noun] > separating seed > machine for > types of
cotton gin1796
roller gin1803
charkha1880
1796 U.S. Patent May 12 [To H. Holmes] for a cotton gin.
1807 Deb. Congress (1852) 460 I went into the cotton gin that was near the house.
1832 Mechanics' Mag. 17 430 Memoir of Eli Whitney, the inventor of the Cotton Gin.
cotton ginner n. a person who operates a cotton gin.
ΚΠ
1822 J. Dougan Corr. 20 May in Papers relating to Slave Trade (1828) Corr. 23 in Parl. Papers XXVI. 23/1 He is very active about the house, and a good cotton ginner.
1873 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 304 A cotton ginner.
1983 Lat. Amer. Perspectives 10 108 The unskilled worker, the ‘cotton picker’ and the cotton ginner were to be found in the Chaco.
2004 Feminist Stud. 30 745 A South Carolina cotton ginner (‘Charlie’).
cotton ground n.
ΚΠ
1857 D. Livingstone Missionary Trav. S. Afr. xi. 204 The soil on all the flat parts is a rich dark tenacious loam, known as the ‘Cotton-ground’ in India.
cotton hook n. U.S., a hook with a cross-handle, used in handling bales of cotton.
ΚΠ
1855 Knickerbocker Mag. 46 542 Draymen threw their whips at him, laborers their cotton-hooks.
cotton-leaf tea n. an infusion made from the leaves of a species of Gossypium, the cotton plant.
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the world > food and drink > drink > infused leaves, flowers, or fruit > [noun] > others
coltsfoota1627
sage tea?1706
pippin tea1709
lemon-tea1725
foltron1748
camomile-tea1753
sassafras tea1783
spruce tea1783
mountain tea1785
cow-slip tea1796
miserable1842
peppermint tea1844
violet tea1853
Swiss tea1860
coffee-tea1866
Jesuits' tea1866
St. Helena tea1875
cotton-leaf tea1881
tamarind watera1883
tamarind tea1883
mullein tea1887
rosehip tea1947
1881 Trans. Obstetr. Soc. 22 31 She said that she had brought down the milk by drinking ‘cotton leaf tea’.
cotton-man n. one who trades in cotton.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns
mercerc1230
clothier1362
draper1362
woolman1390
yarn-chopper1429
line-draper1436
Welsh drapera1525
telerc1540
purple-seller1547
linen-draper1549
staplera1552
silkman1553
woollen-draper1554
wool-driver1555
woolster1577
linener1616
woolner1619
linen-man1631
ragman1649
rag merchant1665
slop-seller1665
bodice-seller1672
piece-broker1697
wool-stapler1709
cloth-man1723
Manchester-man1755
fleece-merchanta1774
rag dealer1777
man's mercer1789
keelman1821
man-mercer1837
cotton-broker1849
slopper1854
shoddyite1865
costumier1886
cotton-man1906
1906 Daily Chron. 26 Jan. 4/5 The Cottonmen,..with an average protection of about 30 per cent., are asking for more.
cotton-mill n. a factory where cotton is spun or woven by steam or water power.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > spinning > place for > for spinning cotton
cotton-mill1791
cotton-spinnery1839
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > [noun] > weaving > method of > weaving other types of fabric > factory
cotton-mill1791
1791 Gentleman's Mag. 61 ii. 1054 About three in the morning, W. Kirk's Cotton-mills at Barnford..were destroyed by fire.
1835 E. Baines Hist. Cotton Manuf. 206 Ropes made of cotton-mill waste.
1859 S. Smiles Self-help 31 A cotton-mill was first erected at Nottingham, driven by horses; and another..at Cromford in Derbyshire, turned by a water-wheel.
cotton-mouth n. a venomous snake of the southern U.S., a species of the copperhead, so called from having a white streak along the lips.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > subfamily Crotalinae > genus Agkistrodon > agkistrodon atrofuscus (cotton-mouth)
highland moccasin1765
water moccasin1765
cotton-mouth1832
land moccasin1836
1832 G. A. McCall Lett. from Frontiers (1868) 259 I found a large moccason or cotton-mouth snake writhing on the ground.
1842 J. A. Holbrook N. Amer. Herpetol. III. 33 Trigonocephalus piscivorus... Water Moccasin, Vulgo. Cotton Mouth, in the western country.
1860 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3) Cotton-mouth, a poisonous snake of Arkansas.
1885 C. F. Holder Marvels Animal Life 129 The copperhead..is also known as the cotton-mouth, moccasin and red-eye in the South.
1885 Outing (U.S.) 7 67/2 The slimy moccasin and the deadly cotton-mouth lie in their coils ready to strike.
1907 C. E. Mulford Bar-20 xix. 194 Every time I sees a cotton-mouth I feels like I had just sit down on one.
cotton-opener n. a machine for loosening and blowing cotton after its transport in compressed bales.
cotton paper n. paper made from cotton.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > paper made from cloth
rag paper1727
linen-paper1738
cotton paper1752
1752 Chambers's Cycl. (ed. 7) at Paper Cotton Paper, charta bombycina..has been in use upwards of 600 years.
1837 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe I. i. 77 [Letters] of the time of Edwd I., written upon genuine cotton paper of no great thickness.
1874 E. O. M. Deutsch Lit. Remains 407 Their material is vellum or cotton-paper.
cotton parchment n. a parchment-like material made by soaking cotton fibre in a solution of sulphuric acid, glycerin, and water, and then rolling it into sheets.
ΚΠ
1658 W. Sanderson Graphice 79 They were rubbed-in with small Cotten-pensills.
cotton plush n. = cotton flannel n.
ΚΠ
1890 Art Interchange 20 Dec. 210/2 The beautifully coloured cotton flannels, now called cotton plush in the shops, have a soft satiny appearance.
cotton-powder n. an explosive prepared from gun-cotton.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > explosive material > [noun] > other specific explosives
powdera1393
gunpowder1411
saltpetre1501
petre1586
halinitre1608
sal-prunella1664
petre-salt1708
xyloidin1838
gun-cotton1846
pyroxyle1847
pyroxylin1847
pyroglycerin1850
xylidine1850
nitroglycerine1852
gun-sawdust1853
picrate1854
trinitroglycerin1864
nitroleum1866
trinitrin1866
dynamite1867
giant-powder1872
dualin1874
fulgurite1874
rendrock1874
glyoxilin1875
lithofracteur1875
trinitro-cellulose1875
white gunpowder1875
gelatin1878
cotton-powder1879
vigorite1879
blasting gelatine1881
Hercules powder1881
saxifragine1881
tonite1881
dynamogen1882
forcite1883
haloxylin1883
jelly powdera1884
nitro-gelatinea1884
panclastite1883
potentite1883
sebastinea1884
kolloxylin1884
hellhoffite1885
rackarock1885
securite1886
kinetite1887
roburite1887
carbo-dynamite1888
fortis1889
gelatine dynamite1889
gelignite1889
seranine1889
straw-dynamite1889
carbonite1890
amberite1891
nitro powder1892
Schnebelite1893
westfalite1894
thorite1899
soup1902
ammonal1903
cheddite1908
trinitrotoluene1908
Samsonite1909
tolite1909
trinitrotoluol1910
trotyl1910
glyceryl trinitrate1912
T.N.T.1915
nitro1916
amatol1918
cyclonite1923
hexogen1923
lox1923
pentaerythritol tetranitrate1923
hexite1931
aurantia1940
jelly1941
RDX1941
1879 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (ed. 6) I. x. 322 The cotton-powder yielded a very effective report.
1888 Wardell Handbk. Gunpowder 84 Tonite, or cotton powder, consists of gun-cotton thoroughly purified, mixed or impregnated with nitrates, usually nitrate of barium.
cotton-press n. a machine (or warehouse) for pressing cotton into bales.
ΚΠ
1835 J. H. Ingraham South-West I. xviii. 190 The ‘cotton press’ a short distance below, on the left, fronting the river.
1866 Harvard Mem. Biog. I. 385 To take charge of building and running a cotton-press in Memphis, Tennessee.
cotton print n. cotton cloth printed with a design in colours.
ΚΠ
1837 F. Marryat Snarleyyow III. v. 74 Shrouding herself..in her cotton print cloak, she followed him.
cotton-printer n.
ΚΠ
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Cotton-printer, a machine-printer, who stamps and dyes cotton fabrics.
cotton-printing n.
ΚΠ
1827 Westm. Rev. 7 284 Cotton-printing, paper-staining.
cotton-rat n. a rodent ( Sigmodon hispidus) common in southern U.S.
cotton rep n. a rep (rep n.6 and adj.2) made of cotton.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > having raised, ribbed, or corded surface
dimity1569
Marseilles quilting1751
corduroy1795
piqué1807
cotton-rib1824
cotton rep1882
Bedford cord1912
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 89/2 Cotton reps..are chiefly employed for the linings of crétonne curtains.
1957 M. B. Picken Fashion Dict. 85/1 Cotton rep, heavy cotton fabric with ribs, usually horizontal. Used for draperies, children's school clothes, etc.
cotton-rib n. a kind of fustian, or corduroy.
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the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > having raised, ribbed, or corded surface
dimity1569
Marseilles quilting1751
corduroy1795
piqué1807
cotton-rib1824
cotton rep1882
Bedford cord1912
1824 E. Baines Hist. Lancaster I. 114 The fustians made in this early period of the manufacture were denominated herring-bone..strong cotton-ribs, and barragon..to which were afterwards added cotton thicksetts.
cotton-rock n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1856 Swallow Geol. Missouri Cotton Rock, a variety of Magnesian limestone, of a light buff or gray color, found in Missouri. It is very soft when fresh from the quarry.
cotton-rose n. a name for the plant-genus Filago.
cotton-roving n. a rove of cotton.
ΚΠ
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 317 The one [sc. spindle] which is advancing draws out the cotton-roving from the range of bobbins at the back.
cotton-rush n. = cotton-grass n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > cotton-grass plant or flower
moss-crop?c1475
fen-down1495
cotton-grass1597
silk grass1727
moor-palm1788
bog-down1794
moss1798
cotton-rush1826
lucky minnie's oo1866
cotton-sedge1872
moor-silk1879
month1881
month grass1881
1826 N. T. Carrington Dartmoor Pref. 8 The tall reed and the glossy plumes of the cotton rush nod in the breeze.
cotton-sedge n. = cotton-rush n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > cotton-grass plant or flower
moss-crop?c1475
fen-down1495
cotton-grass1597
silk grass1727
moor-palm1788
bog-down1794
moss1798
cotton-rush1826
lucky minnie's oo1866
cotton-sedge1872
moor-silk1879
month1881
month grass1881
1872 D. Oliver Lessons Elem. Bot. (new ed.) ii. 272 Common Cotton Sedge.
cotton shrub n. a shrub of the genus Gossypium.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > cotton-plant > types of
lump cotton1640
cotton shrub1752
kidney-cotton1789
nankeen cotton1797
sea-island1803
shrub cotton1858
tree cotton1884
Pima1914
1752 Chambers's Cycl. (ed. 7) at Paper [The paper] made by the Chinese from their cotton-shrub.
1848 Chambers's Information for People (new ed.) I. 340 The cotton shrub grows in almost every country where the annual herbaceous cotton is found.
cotton-stainer n. a heteropterous insect, Dysdercus suturellus, which gives a reddish stain to cotton.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Hemiptera > suborder Heteroptera > miscellaneous types > dysderous suturellus (cotton-stainer)
cotton-stainer1883
1883 W. Saunders Insects Injurious to Fruits 387 Dysdercus suturellus..is commonly known as the red-bug, or cotton-stainer.
cotton State n. any one of the cotton-growing States of the American Union.
ΚΠ
1845 Whig Almanac (N.Y.) 16/1 Cotton States.
1851 J. A. Quitman in Life & Corr. (1860) II. xvi. 125 In the cotton states such sentiments prevail and are growing.
1858 W. L. Yancey in Cradle of Confed. 393 If we..organize ‘committees of safety’ all over the cotton States..we shall fire the Southern heart.
1890 M. Townsend U.S.: Index to United States Amer. 66 Alabama is called the Cotton State because it is the central State of the Cotton Belt.
cotton-tail n. the common rabbit of the United States ( Lepus sylvaticus), which has a white fluffy tail.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > order Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) > [noun] > family Leporidae > genus Sylvilagus (cotton-tail)
cotton-tail1879
wood-rabbit1891
1879 F. S. Bridges Round World in Six Months 25 Some cotton-tails (rabbits).
1885 Harper's Mag. May 828/2 A cotton-tail rabbit rose.
cotton-tie n. a combination of iron hoop and buckle used for the tying of cotton bales.
ΚΠ
1888 Star 21 July 4/2 The ‘cotton-ties’ from its world-renowned forges.
cotton-topper n. a machine for pruning the growing cotton-plants.
cotton velvet n. a cotton fabric made with a pile like velvet; a kind of fustian.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > with nap > cotton velvet
tripec1430
beggar's plush1688
beggar's velvet1711
velveret1769
velveteen1776
cotton velvet1777
1777 S. Dolignon Specif. Patent 1175 1 Colouring the whole or part of the surface of..silk or cotton velvet.
1795 J. Aikin Descr. Country round Manch. 159 About the time when draw-boys were first made, cotton velvets were attempted.
cotton waste n. refuse yarn from the manufacture of cotton, used for cleaning machinery and other purposes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > cotton > refuse
cotton waste1824
waste1864
1824 E. Baines Hist. Lancaster I. 548 Cotton waste dlrs.
1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South II. xiii. 179 I might as well put a firebrand into the midst of the cotton-waste.
cotton-wick n. candle-wick made of cotton.
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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick > made of cotton or cotton for making
cotton1466
cotton-wick1678
1678 R. Russel tr. Jabir ibn Haiyan Wks. Geber ii. i. iv. v. 94 Putting a little Cotton-Weik into the hole.
1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) ii. xxxi. 157 Dip Cotton-Week into Gun powder wet with water.
cotton-wicked adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [adjective] > having a wick
wicked1507
cotton-wicked1707
1707 G. Miège Present State Great Brit. ii. ii. 31 Cotton-Wick'd Candle.
cotton-worm n. the larva of an insect ( Aletia xylina) very destructive to the cotton-crops of America.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Caradrinidae > larva of aletia xylina or cotton worm
cotton-worm1848
1848 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Patents 1847 170 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (30th Congr., 1st Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc. 54) VI There has been some complaint respecting the cotton worm in the early part of the season.
1870 C. V. Riley Rep. Noxious Insects 37 The Cotton-worm (Anomis xylina Say) is very generally known by the name of the Cotton Army worm, in the South.
cotton yarn n. cotton prepared for weaving into fabrics.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > cotton > for weaving
cotton yarn1704
twist1805
1704 London Gaz. No. 3983/4 The Cargo of the Ship Hamstead Galley..consisting of..Cotton-yarn, Cotton-wooll.
1824 E. Baines Hist. Lancaster I. 548 Cotton yarn dealers.
Draft additions June 2016
cotton bud n. chiefly British a small wad of cotton wool on a short, thin (typically plastic) stick, used in applying cosmetics, and other aspects of personal care or hygiene; cf. Q-tip n.
ΚΠ
1953 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 27 Aug. 25 (advt.) Sterile Cotton Buds... 54 double tips. 29c.
1975 Jackie 15 Feb. 5/1 Use a cotton bud dipped in remover for the nooks and crannies if old polish is really stubborn and take extra care around the cuticle area.
2005 T. Hall Salaam Brick Lane i. 21 Inside a Pakistani-owned barbers..a man was having his ears cleaned out with cotton buds.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† cottonn.2
Obsolete.attributive.1503 Privy Purse Exp. Eliz. of York in S. W. Beck Draper's Dict. For v yerdes of cotton russet for the Quenes choare.1585 Abp. E. Sandys Serm. viii. 133 A cotten coate light for the one time, and warme for the other.1598 R. Hakluyt tr. W. de Rubruquis in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 98 The poorer sort do line their clothes with cotton cloth which is made of the finest wooll they can pick out.a1657 G. Daniel Idyllia in Poems (1878) IV. iv. 52 I can as well keep bare To a Cotton-Bench, as to a Velvet-Chaire.
A woollen fabric of the nature of frieze, in the 16th and 17th centuries largely manufactured in Lancashire, Westmorland, and Wales (Manchester cotton, Kendal cotton; also Welsh cotton n. at Welsh adj. and n. Compounds 1b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from wool > [noun] > coarse or rough > frieze > of the nature of
cotton1503
1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII c. 11 Any Cottons or playne lininge or frise, made..in..Lancasshyre.
1552 Leland in Draper's Dict. Bolton-upon Moore market stondeth most by cottons and coarse yarne. Divers villages in the Moors about Bolton doe make cottons.
1580 R. Hitchcock Pollitique Platt sig. Fij At Rone in Fraunce..be solde our Englishe wares, as Welche and Manchester Cottons [etc.].
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 746 This towne was of farre greater account..for certain wollen clothes there wrought and in great request commonly called Manchester Cottons.
1641 P. Heylyn Ἡρωολογια Anglorvm 301 Manchester Cottons being famous in all drapers shops.
1754 R. Pococke Trav. (1889) II. 2 [Kendal manufactures] A sort of frieze call'd Cotton, at eight pence a yard..for the West Indies, for the use of the slaves.
1840 C. Nicholson Ann. Kendal (1861) 241 ‘Kendal cotton’ at length became degraded to the use of horse-checks, floor-cloths, dusters, mops, etc.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† cottonn.3
Obsolete. rare.
? Quince.
ΚΠ
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. (1682) vii. 317 Malta..a barren place..but it yieldeth good store of Pomegranates, Citrons, Cottons, Orenges.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
cottonv.1
/ˈkɒtn/, U.S. /ˈkɑtn/ I. literally.† 1. transitive. To form a down or nap on; to furnish with a nap, to frieze. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > treating or processing textile fabric > treat or process textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > put nap on
raise1482
rough1484
row1487
cotton1488
moze1505
frieze1509
teasel1603
nap1608
tease1755
card1766
frizz1806
1488 [implied in: 1488 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 164 viii elne of cotonyt quhit clath to lyne the saim hos. (at cottoned adj. 1)].
1557 Act 4 & 5 Phil. & Mary c. 5 §11 Every Yard of Cotton being fully wrought and Cottoned shall weigh one Pound at the least.
1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Frisar To rub, to cotten, to freese clothe.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Cotonare, to cotton, to bumbace, to thrum, or set a nap vpon.
2. intransitive. Of cloth, etc.: To form or take on a nap, to rise with a nap. ? Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [verb (intransitive)] > form nap
cotton1608
1608 [see sense 4].
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) To Cotton, to Frize, or wear Nappy, as some Stuffs do.
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Cottum In making Hats, To Cotton well, is when the Wooll and other Materials work well and imbody together.
1822 R. Nares Gloss. Cotton, to succeed, to go on prosperously: a metaphor, probably, from the finishing of cloth, which when it cottons, or rises to a regular nap, is nearly or quite complete.
3. transitive.
a. To furnish or clothe with cotton.
ΚΠ
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Hants. 7 William Cotton..was made Bishop of Exeter. The Queen merrily saying, (alluding to the plenty of clothing in those parts) that she hoped that now she had well Cottoned the West.
b. To stop up with cotton or cotton-wool.
ΚΠ
1862 H. Marryat One Year in Sweden II. 323 All the interstices cottoned up.
c. figurative. To wrap up as in cotton or cotton-wool, to pad.
ΚΠ
1859 E. Bulwer-Lytton What will he do with It? (1st Edinb. ed.) II. vi. v. 287 While that man..should be rolling in wealth, and cottoned up in a palace.
1887 R. L. Stevenson in Contemp. Rev. LI. 477 Already in our society..the bourgeois is too much cottoned about for any zest in living.
II. figurative (intransitive)† 4. To prosper, succeed, ‘get on’ well. Obsolete.In 16–17th centuries very frequent in phrase this gear cottons.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > prosper or be successful
speed993
achievec1300
provec1300
edifya1400
chevise14..
exploit1477
cottonc1560
fadge1611
through1675
to make the riffle1853
arrive1889
c1560 T. Preston Cambyses in W. C. Hazlitt Dodsley's Sel. Coll. Old Eng. Plays (1874) IV. 215 How like ye now, my masters? doth not this gear cotton?
1584 J. Lyly Alexander, Campaspe, & Diogenes iii. iv. sig. D2 Doth not this matter cotton as I would.
1608 T. Middleton Familie of Love (new ed.) iii. sig. D3 v It cottens well, it cannot choose but beare A prety napp.
1611 Troublesome Raigne Iohn (new ed.) i. sig. E4 Come on Sir Frier, picke the locke, this geere doth cotton hansome.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 308 After Females are separated from their mothers..they cotten sooner than men, grow sooner wise and sooner old.
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) iv. ii*. sig. K4 Still Mistress Dorothy? this geer will cotton.
1681 in Roxburghe Ballads (1884) V. 202 Meal-Tub Devices, which never well did Cotten.
1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby ‘Nought cottons weel’, nothing turns out agreeable.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Cotton..(2) To grow, to improve (Obsolescent).
5. To ‘get on’ together or with each other; to suit each other; to work harmoniously, harmonize, agree. (Const. sometimes together, with.)
a. of persons, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > be friendly [verb (intransitive)] > get on (well)
gree?a1513
to get in with1602
cotton1605
to hitch (also set, or stable) horses together1617
to hit it1634
gee1685
to set horses together1685
to be made for each other (also one another)1751
to hit it off1780
to get ona1805
to hitch horses together1835
niggle1837
to step together1866
to speak (also talk) someone's (also the same) language1893
to stall with1897
cog1926
groove1935
click1954
vibe1986
1605 Play Stucley in R. Simpson School of Shakspere (1878) I. 169 John a Nokes and John a Style and I cannot cotton.
a1634 J. Day Peregrinatio Scholastica (Sloane 3150) f. 6 The draper said truth and he should cotten well enoughe.
1660 T. M. Walker's Hist. Independency IV. 46 [The Parliament] and their Masters of the Army could not cotton together.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew (at cited word) They don't cotton, they don't agree well.
1881 R. C. Praed Policy & Passion I. x. 212 All I ask is that I may be able to cotton with the man she's set her heart on.
b. of things.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > agree/be in harmony/be congruous [verb (intransitive)]
accord1340
cord1340
concordc1374
agree1447
to stand togetherc1449
rhyme?a1475
commonc1475
gree?a1513
correspond1529
consent1540
cotton1567
pan1572
reciprocate1574
concur1576
meet1579
suit1589
sorta1592
condog1592
square1592
fit1594
congrue1600
sympathize1601
symbolize1605
to go even1607
coherea1616
congreea1616
hita1616
piece1622
to fall in1626
harmonize1629
consist1638
comply1645
shadow1648
quare1651
atonea1657
symphonize1661
syncretize1675
chime1690
jibe1813
consone1873
1567 T. Drant tr. Horace Arte of Poetrie sig. Avv That first with midst, and middst with laste, Maye cotten, and agree.
1614 T. Adams Diuells Banket ii. 54 Our secure liues, and your seuere Lawes will neuer cotten.
1652 M. Nedham tr. J. Selden Of Dominion of Sea 163 These things do not cotten well.
1840 Lady C. M. C. Bury Hist. Flirt xviii The vaulted roof of a cathedral..did not ‘cotton’ with lively ideas.
6. To agree, to fraternize. Const. together, with, rarely in. cotton up: to make friendly advances, ‘make up’ to, strike up a friendship.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > be friendly [verb (intransitive)] > become friendly
agree1447
fadge1592
to hit it1634
cotton1648
to draw up1723
to hit it off1780
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > be friendly [verb (intransitive)] > become friendly > make friendly advances
cotton up1864
1648 Mercurius Elencticus No. 9. 64 Unlesse Harry Martin and he cotton againe, and make a powerfull Intercession for him.
1668 T. Shadwell Sullen Lovers iv. 67 O rare how we shall cotten together, as the saying is.
1695 W. Congreve Love for Love iii. i. 40 I love to see 'em hug and cotten together, like Down upon a Thistle.
1766 T. Amory Life John Buncle II. vi. 196 He pledged me and cottoned in a very diverting way.
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. ii. 51 Didst see..how the old goldsmith cottoned in with his beggarly countryman?
1835 Fraser's Mag. 11 142 Gradually all cottoned together, and plunged into conversation.
1864 Derby Day 152 (Farmer) You stop here and cotton up to the gipsies.
1886 ‘H. Conway’ Living or Dead xiv ‘Then you cottoned up’? suggested Valentine. ‘Not a bit of it’, said Vigor, ‘He began to patronize me’.
7. To ‘take’ to, attach oneself to; to become drawn or attached to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > affection > [verb (intransitive)] > attach oneself
fasten1590
cotton1805
bond1976
1805 A. Knox Let. 7 Jan. in J. Jebb & A. Knox Thirty Years' Corr. (1834) I. 164 I did not thoroughly cotton to your intended course of reading.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xxxvii. 306 ‘I don't object to Short,’ she says, ‘but I cotton to Codlin.’
1874 A. Trollope Lady Anna I. xviii. 233 You see, she had nobody else near her. A girl must cotton to somebody, and who was there?
1881 R. C. Praed Policy & Passion II. xii. 214 I object to you personally. I have never cottoned to you from the moment I set eyes upon you.
8. Colloquial phrase to cotton on to: (a) to become attached to; to form a liking for; (b) to understand; to get to know about; also to cotton on, to ‘catch on’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > have liking for [verb (transitive)] > take a liking to
fain1483
fancy1545
conceit1589
to take kindly to1733
to take to ——1748
to take a shine to1839
tumble1887
to cotton on to1907
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)] > reach understanding of
reach1582
tumble1846
to catch on1882
waken1899
to wise up1905
to tune in1926
to cotton on1929
plug1948
latch1954
1907 H. Lawson in W. Murdoch & H. Drake-Brockman Austral. Short Stories (1951) 85 I s'pose the fact of the matter was that she didn't cotton on to me, and wanted to let me down easy.
1922 D. H. Lawrence England my England 106 Oh..I didn't want to... Didn't want to—didn't cotton on, like.
1929 W. P. Ridge Affect. Regards 137 I was one of the few that didn't cotton on to it.
1934 Concise Oxf. Dict. Add. Cotton on (to) (slang), understand.
1936 J. Tickell See how they Run i. 4 I don't seem to cotton on to German somehow.
1940 ‘N. Shute’ Landfall 198 ‘How long have they been doing this?’ ‘God knows. We've only just cottoned on to it.’
1959 Observer 8 Nov. 4/6 I can see how to put things over. I cotton on quick.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
cottonv.2
/ˈkɒtn/, U.S. /ˈkɑtn/ dialect.
transitive. To beat, flog, thrash.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > beating or repeated striking > beat [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person
to-beatc893
threshOE
bustc1225
to lay on or upon?c1225
berrya1250
to-bunea1250
touchc1330
arrayc1380
byfrapc1380
boxc1390
swinga1400
forbeatc1420
peal?a1425
routa1425
noddlea1450
forslinger1481
wipe1523
trima1529
baste1533
waulk1533
slip1535
peppera1550
bethwack1555
kembc1566
to beat (a person) black and blue1568
beswinge1568
paik1568
trounce1568
canvass1573
swaddle?1577
bebaste1582
besoop1589
bumfeage1589
dry-beat1589
feague1589
lamback1589
clapperclaw1590
thrash1593
belam1595
lam1595
beswaddle1598
bumfeagle1598
belabour1600
tew1600
flesh-baste1611
dust1612
feeze1612
mill1612
verberate1614
bethumpa1616
rebuke1619
bemaul1620
tabor1624
maula1627
batterfang1630
dry-baste1630
lambaste1637
thunder-thump1637
cullis1639
dry-banga1640
nuddle1640
sauce1651
feak1652
cotton1654
fustigate1656
brush1665
squab1668
raddle1677
to tan (a person's) hide1679
slam1691
bebump1694
to give (a person) his load1694
fag1699
towel1705
to kick a person's butt1741
fum1790
devel1807
bray1808
to beat (also scare, etc.) someone's daylights out1813
mug1818
to knock (a person) into the middle of next week1821
welt1823
hidea1825
slate1825
targe1825
wallop1825
pounce1827
to lay into1838
flake1841
muzzle1843
paste1846
looder1850
frail1851
snake1859
fettle1863
to do over1866
jacket1875
to knock seven kinds of —— out of (a person)1877
to take apart1880
splatter1881
to beat (knock, etc.) the tar out of1884
to —— the shit out of (a person or thing)1886
to do up1887
to —— (the) hell out of1887
to beat — bells out of a person1890
soak1892
to punch out1893
stoush1893
to work over1903
to beat up1907
to punch up1907
cream1929
shellac1930
to —— the bejesus out of (a person or thing)1931
duff1943
clobber1944
to fill in1948
to bash up1954
to —— seven shades of —— out of (a person or thing)1976
to —— seven shades out of (a person or thing)1983
beast1990
becurry-
fan-
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot iii. xi. 147 To Cotton (as they say) ones Coat, that is, to baste it.
1746 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) i. 6 Zey zitch a Word more, chell cotton thy Wastecoat.
1863 Mrs. Toogood Specim. Yorks. Dial. I give thee a good cottoning if to 's so idle.
1869 J. C. Atkinson Peacock's Gloss. Dial. Hundred of Lonsdale Cotton, to beat or thrash.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Cotton, to flog; to thrash.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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