cot

¹ American  

abbreviation

Trigonometry.

1. cotangent.

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cot ² American  

[kot] / kɒt /

noun

1. a light portable bed, especially one of canvas on a folding frame.

2. British. a child's crib.

3. a light bedstead.

4. Nautical. a hammocklike bed stiffened by a suspended frame.

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cot ³ American  

[kot] / kɒt /

noun

1. a small house; cottage; hut.

2. a small place of shelter.

3. a sheath or protective covering, as for an injured finger or toe.

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cot ¹ British  

/ kɒt /

noun

1. literary a small cottage

2. Also called: cote. 

   1. a small shelter, esp one for pigeons, sheep, etc

   2. ( in combination )

      dovecot

3. another name for fingerstall

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cot ² British  

/ kɒt /

verb

1. dialect to entangle or become entangled

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cot ³ British  

/ kɒt /

abbreviation

1. cotangent

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cot ⁴ British  

/ kɒt /

noun

1. a child's boxlike bed, usually incorporating vertical bars

2. a collapsible or portable bed

3. a light bedstead

4. nautical a hammock-like bed with a stiff frame

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cot Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of cotangent

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Etymology

Origin of cot²

1625–35; < Hindi khāṭ < Prakrit khaṭṭā < Sanskrit khaṭvā; akin to Tamil kattil bedstead

Origin of cot³

before 900; Middle English, Old English cot (neuter; cf. cote ¹); cognate with Old Norse kot hut; akin to cubby, cove ¹

Explanation

A cot is a small, portable bed. You might sleep on a cot when you go camping. Some hotels offer cots for extra guests who stay in your room, and campers and soldiers on the move often use cots for sleeping. A cot's benefits include its light weight and ability to be folded into an easily carried size. In Britain, a cot is a baby bed or crib. Cot has a Hindi source, khat, "couch, bed, or hammock" from the Sanskrit khatva.

Example Sentences

“We get so many people coming through here and making that link with Ukraine just because it is so relevant at the moment,” said Erin Harris, a guide at Tyne Cot.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 5, 2023

Tyne Cot cemetery near the town of Ypres in Belgium is where almost 12,000 soldiers who fought in World War One are buried.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2019

He pointed to a name, “Smith, G.” — one of 90,000 British soldiers memorialized on the Menin Gate, or the walls of nearby Tyne Cot Cemetery, because they have no known grave.

From New York Times • Aug. 28, 2018

Cot And Bagel: A low-budget bed and breakfast.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2016

I am not I, if I do not let him see— De la Cot.

From The Comedies of Carlo Goldoni edited with an introduction by Helen Zimmern by Goldoni, Carlo

Related Words

• bunk