Cotton

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /ˈkÉ‘t.nÌ©/
• RP IPA: /ˈkÉ’t.nÌ©/
• Rhymes: -É’tÉ™n
• Hyphenation: cot + ton

Middle English cotoun, from Anglo-Norman cotun, Old French coton, from (Genoese) Old Italian cotone, from (Egyptian) Arabic قطن, Andalusian Arabic , variants of Arabic قُطْن, from the root , possibly originally from Egyptian.

Cognate to Dutch katoen, German Kattun, Italian cotone, Spanish algodón, and Portuguese algodão.

Online Etymology Dictionary

Full definition of cotton

Noun

1. A plant that encases its seed in a thin fiber that is harvested and used as a fabric or cloth.
2. Gossypium, a genus of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
3. (textiles) The textile made from the fiber harvested from the cotton plant.
4. (countable) An item of clothing made from cotton.

Derived terms

• cotton candy
• cottongrass
• cotton pad
• cotton picker
• cottonseed
• cotton stripper
• cotton wool
• cotton gin
• cotton card
• cotton blend

Adjective

1. Made of cotton.
• 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter 2, Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety.  She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.

1560s, either from Welsh cydun, cytun ("agree, coincide") (cyduno, cytuno), from cyd, cyt + un ("one"), literally “to be at one with”, or by metaphor with the textile, as cotton blended well with other textiles, notably wool in hat-making.

Take Our Word For It: Issue 178, page 2

Folk-etymology: a dictionary of verbal corruptions or words perverted in form or meaning, by false derivation or mistaken analogy, Abram Smythe Palmer, G. Bell and Sons, 1882, p. 76

Verb

1. To get on with someone or something; to have a good relationship with someone.
• 1873, w, I want to tell you the Dukes, both mother and son, are cottoning to her fast enough
• 2009, March 21, Farhad Manjoo, A Conference That Starts on Time and Stays on Schedule, The conference — Mr. Allen’s first gathering, and, depending on the economic outlook, maybe his last — brought together entrepreneurs, techies, writers and even some middle managers who’ve cottoned on to his ideas.

Usage notes

Generally used with prepositions on, to; see cotton on, cotton to.

Derived terms

• cotton on
• cotton to