ceiba
Americannoun
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any bombacaceous tropical tree of the genus Ceiba, such as the silk-cotton tree
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silk cotton; kapok
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ceiba
First recorded in 1805–15; from Spanish, from Taíno ceyba or its cognate in another Arawakan language
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.
In one entrancing swath of forest, towering ceiba trees loom and hooting howler monkeys leap from branch to branch in the understory.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 26, 2018
Santería offerings are scattered at the base of a ceiba tree near the main strip.
From Washington Post • May 21, 2015
Trees include California bay, eucalyptus, ash, oaks, ceiba, ginkgo, chitalpa and Italian and white pine.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2015
THE road to Atjoni got more interesting as the wind grew stronger, making the surrounding ceiba trees of the Surinamese jungle murmur with whispers of an impending storm.
From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2011
I crouched behind a big ceiba, my fist in my mouth, listening to the thud of soil hitting the box.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
