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absorbent cotton

American

noun

cotton for surgical dressings, cosmetic purposes, etc., made absorbent by removing the natural wax.

absorbent cotton British

noun

a US term for cotton wool

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of absorbent cotton

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Period pants are underwear with built-in absorbent layers.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

Tucked within most of them were even shorter absorbent layers, which are meant to soak up menstrual flow.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023