Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense cottons, present participle cottoning, past tense, past participle cottoned
1. variable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Cotton is a type of cloth made from soft fibres from a particular plant.
...a cotton shirt.
2. uncountable noun
Cotton is a plant which is grown in warm countries and which produces soft fibres used in making cotton cloth.
...a large cotton plantation in Tennessee.
3. variable noun
Cotton is thread that is used for sewing, especially thread that is made from cotton.
[mainly British]
There's a needle and cotton there.
regional note: in AM, use thread
4. uncountable noun
Cotton or absorbent cotton is a soft mass of cotton, used especially for applying liquids or creams to your skin.
[US]regional note: in BRIT, use cotton wool
Phrasal verbs:
See cotton on
See cotton to
cotton in British English
(ˈkɒtən)
noun
1.
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
See also sea-island cotton
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
Derived forms
cottony (ˈcottony)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French coton, from Arabic dialect qutun, from Arabic qutn
Cotton in British English
(ˈkɒtən)
noun
Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)
Cotton in American English
(ˈkɑtən)
John1584-1652; Am. Puritan clergyman, born in England: grandfather of Cotton Mather
cotton in American English
(ˈkɑtən)
noun
1.
the soft, white seed hairs filling the seedpods of various shrubby plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family, originally native to the tropics
2.
a plant or plants producing this material
3.
the crop of such plants
4.
thread or cloth made of cotton
5.
a downy, cottonlike substance growing on other plants
adjective
6.
of cotton
Idioms:
cotton to
cotton up to
Word origin
ME cotoun < OFr coton < (? via It cotone) Ar quṭun < ? Egypt
Examples of 'cotton' in a sentence
cotton
This amazing system uses pure cotton fibres you sprinkle on to make your hair look naturally thick.
The Sun (2013)
Wipe away excess oil with some cotton wool.
The Sun (2012)
Pale linen suits and cotton shirts are as popular as lightweight suits for men.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Run a needle and cotton through the garlic and chilli.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This guarantees that farmers get a stable price for their cotton crop.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Wool can be woven to be as light and breathable as almost any cotton or silk.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She was wearing a white cotton dress with red polka dots.
Carlos Acosta No Way Home: A Cuban Dancer's Tale (2007)
Use a cotton bud dipped in white vinegar to remove any stray hair dye from your skin.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Crisp cotton shirts are too stiff and bulky on me.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The mind is no less valuable than cotton thread.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
Ace it with a great cotton dress.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Then blot the edges with a cotton bud.
The Sun (2013)
His father was a keen photographer and he would colour in photographs using cotton buds and oil paints.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In the early 1900s the town produced more cotton cloth than any other in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The disaster wiped out a third of the country's cotton crop.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Can be made from cotton or man-made fibres.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
So the next year the farmers mortgaged their homes and planted cotton again, hoping for a good harvest.
Christianity Today (2000)
Instead of cotton, think silk.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I'm more likely to go for soft things like cotton and cashmere.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was Mississippi's largest cotton plantation.
The Sun (2008)
Word lists with
cotton
fabric, shrub
In other languages
cotton
British English: cotton /ˈkɒtn/ NOUN
clothCotton is a kind of cloth that is made from the cotton plant.
American English: cotton cloth
Arabic: قُطْن
Brazilian Portuguese: algodão
Chinese: 棉花
Croatian: pamuk
Czech: bavlna
Danish: bomuld
Dutch: katoen
European Spanish: algodón
Finnish: puuvilla
French: coton
German: Baumwolle
Greek: βαμβάκι
Italian: cotone
Japanese: 綿
Korean: 면 직물
Norwegian: bomull
Polish: bawełna
European Portuguese: algodão
Romanian: bumbac
Russian: хлопок
Latin American Spanish: algodón
Swedish: bomull
Thai: ผ้าฝ้าย
Turkish: pamuk bitki
Ukrainian: бавовна
Vietnamese: bông vải
British English: cotton /ˈkɒtn/ NOUN
threadCotton is thread that you use to sew with.
American English: cotton
Arabic: قُطْن
Brazilian Portuguese: algodão
Chinese: 棉线
Croatian: pamuk
Czech: bavlna
Danish: bomuldstråd
Dutch: katoen
European Spanish: hilo
Finnish: ompelulanka
French: coton
German: Baumwollstoff
Greek: βαμβάκι
Italian: filo di cotone
Japanese: 糸
Korean: 목화
Norwegian: bomull
Polish: bawełna
European Portuguese: algodão
Romanian: bumbac
Russian: хлопковая нить
Latin American Spanish: algodóntela
Swedish: bomullstråd
Thai: ฝ้าย ผ้าฝ้าย
Turkish: pamuk
Ukrainian: нитка
Vietnamese: vải cotton
All related terms of 'cotton'
cotton on
If you cotton on to something, you understand it or realize it, especially without people telling you about it.
cotton to
If you cotton to someone or something, you start to like them.
bog cotton
any of various N temperate and arctic grasslike bog plants of the cyperaceous genus Eriophorum , whose clusters of long silky hairs resemble cotton tufts
cotton belt
a belt of land in the southeastern US that specializes in the production of cotton
cotton bud
A cotton bud is a small stick with a ball of cotton wool at each end, which people use, for example , for applying make-up.
cotton bush
any of various downy chenopodiaceous shrubs, esp Kochia aphylla, which is used to feed livestock
cotton cake
cottonseed meal compressed into nuts or cubes of various sizes for feeding to animals
cotton gin
a machine used for separating seeds from raw cotton
cotton gum
a tall tupelo ( Nyssa aquatica ) with cottony leaves, found in swamps of the SE U.S.
cotton lace
machine-made lace made from cotton
cotton mill
a factory where cotton is spun or woven
cotton swab
A cotton swab is the same as a → swab .
cotton wool
Cotton wool is a soft mass of cotton, used especially for applying liquids or creams to your skin.
cotton yarn
cotton thread which is woven into fabric
Pima cotton
a tough , strong, smooth , long-staple cotton grown in the SW U.S.
silk cotton
→ kapok
cotton candy
Cotton candy is a large pink or white mass of sugar threads that is eaten from a stick. It is sold at fairs or other outdoor events .
cotton goods
cotton fabrics and other products made from woven cotton
cotton grass
any of various N temperate and arctic grasslike bog plants of the cyperaceous genus Eriophorum , whose clusters of long silky hairs resemble cotton tufts
cotton picker
a machine for harvesting cotton fibre
cotton sedge
any of various N temperate and arctic grasslike bog plants of the cyperaceous genus Eriophorum , whose clusters of long silky hairs resemble cotton tufts
cotton sheet
A sheet is a large rectangular piece of cotton or other cloth that you sleep on or cover yourself with in a bed.
Cotton State
Alabama (used as a nickname )
cotton waste
refuse cotton yarn , esp when used as a cleaning material
sewing cotton
cotton thread usually of three or six plies spooled for home and industrial sewing
upland cotton
a tropical American cotton plant, Gossypium hirsutum, widely cultivated for its fibre
waxed cotton
cotton that is treated with wax to make it waterproof
brushed cotton
cotton fabric that is brushed to remove excess lint and fibres to leave a soft, smooth finish
cotton batting
cotton wadding , as used in quilt making
cotton flannel
a plain-weave or twill-weave fabric with nap on one side only
cotton industry
the business of spinning and weaving cotton
cotton-picking
(intensifier qualifying something undesirable )
cotton stainer
any of various heteropterous insects of the genus Dysdercus: serious pests of cotton , piercing and staining the cotton bolls : family Pyrrhocoridae
cotton up to
to try to ingratiate oneself, or make friends , with
purified cotton
bleached and sterilized cotton from which the gross impurities , such as the seeds and waxy matter, have been removed: used for surgical dressings , tampons , etc
surgical cotton
bleached and sterilized cotton from which the gross impurities , such as the seeds and waxy matter, have been removed: used for surgical dressings , tampons , etc
absorbent cotton
raw cotton made absorbent by the removal of its wax : used for surgical dressings , etc.
sea-island cotton
a cotton plant, Gossypium barbadense, of the Sea Islands , widely cultivated for its fine long fibres
silk-cotton tree
any of several tropical bombacaceous trees of the genus Ceiba , esp Ceiba pentandra, having seeds covered with silky hairs from which kapok is obtained
the Cotton State
a nickname for the state of Alabama
cotton-wool generation
the children and teenagers of the early 21st century, viewed as having been overprotected while growing up
fairyfloss
a very light fluffy confection made from coloured spun sugar , usually held on a stick
gin
Gin is a strong colourless alcoholic drink made from grain and juniper berries.
candyfloss
Candyfloss is a large pink or white mass of sugar threads that is eaten from a stick. It is sold at fairs or other outdoor events.