Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cotton, cotton fiber, cotton wool(noun)

   soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

2. cotton(noun)

   fabric woven from cotton fibers

3. cotton, cotton plant(noun)

   erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers

4. cotton(verb)

   thread made of cotton fibers

5. cotton(verb)

   take a liking to

   "cotton to something"

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cotton(noun)

   a soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half

2. Cotton(noun)

   the cotton plant. See Cotten plant, below

3. Cotton(noun)

   cloth made of cotton

4. Cotton(verb)

   to rise with a regular nap, as cloth does

5. Cotton(verb)

   to go on prosperously; to succeed

6. Cotton(verb)

   to unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed by with

7. Cotton(verb)

   to take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used with to

Origin: [F. coton, Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. Acton, Hacqueton.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cotton

   Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. Under natural condition, the cotton balls will tend to increase the dispersion of the seeds. The plant is a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, Africa, and India. The greatest diversity of wild cotton species is found in Mexico, followed by Australia and Africa. Cotton was independently domesticated in the Old and New Worlds. The English name derives from the Arabic qutn قُطْن, which began to be used circa 1400 CE. The Spanish word, "algodón", is likewise derived from the Arabic. The fiber is most often spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. The use of cotton for fabric is known to date to prehistoric times; fragments of cotton fabric dated from 5000 BCE have been excavated in Mexico and the Indus Valley Civilization. Although cultivated since antiquity, it was the invention of the cotton gin that so lowered the cost of production that led to its widespread use, and it is the most widely used natural fiber cloth in clothing today.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cotton

   kot′n, n. a soft substance like fine wool, got from the pods of the cotton-plant: cloth made of cotton.—adj. made of cotton.—v.t. to provide with cotton.—v.i. to agree: to be attached to (the connection of the intransitive meanings is unknown).—ns. Cottonade′, a name given to an inferior kind of cotton cloth; Cott′on-gin, a machine for separating the seeds from the fibre of cotton; Cott′on-grass, a genus of Cyperaceæ in which the perigone or covering of united bracts, which in this order enclose the ripening ovary, is developed into long, silky, or cottony hairs; Cottonoc′racy, the cotton planting or the cotton manufacturing interest; Cott′on-plant, one of various plants of the genus Gossypium, natural order Malvaceæ, yielding the textile substance cotton; Cott′on-press, a press for compressing cotton into bales; Cott′on-seed, the seed of the cotton-plant, yielding a valuable oil; Cott′on-spin′ner, one who spins cotton, or employs those who do; Cott′on-tail, the ordinary United States rabbit; Cott′on-this′tle, a strong thistle covered with a cottony down; Cott′on-tree, the American cotton-wood: the Indian Bombax malabaricum; Cott′on-weed, cudweed or everlasting; Cott′on-wood, any one of several American species of poplar; Cott′on-wool, cotton in its raw or woolly state.—adj. Cott′ony, like cotton: soft: downy. [Fr. coton—Ar. qutun.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cotton

   A type of fiber and substance produced by the cotton plant.

   Cotton is widely cultivated and used worldwide, it is a cash crop and a commodity and used for a variety of purposes.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cotton' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4170

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cotton' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4447

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cotton' in Nouns Frequency: #1690

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of cotton in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of cotton in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. Mouaz Moustafa:

   They've got the cotton and the wheat.

2. Sara Daise:

   Oh, they just love picking cotton, but they were resisting. They were organizing.

3. Mark Kirk:

   For Tom Cotton, a decorated military officer, to accuse him of treason is way over the top.

4. Peter Goadsby:

   I see no sense in complicating what can be done with a cotton swab on the physician’s couch.

5. Phil Gramm:

   Half the world does not know the joys of wearing cotton underwear. (promoting US exports, as quoted in Time)

Images & Illustrations of cotton