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. 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 ² British  

/ kɒt /

abbreviation

1. cotangent

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cot ³ 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 ⁴ British  

/ kɒt /

verb

1. dialect to entangle or become entangled

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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

See Examples For:

cot

Devi has used many years’ worth of meager birthday savings to send away for college-admissions materials, which she has cherished “like secret and holy things” and stowed carefully under her cot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

But he also didn’t want to die an old man on a rusted prison cot.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

The NHS advises to "always place your baby on their back to sleep" in their own sleep space, like a cot, for the first 12 months to reduce the risk of Sids.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

Marfisee and her students walked through the surrounding neighborhood, went cot to cot in the women’s dorm and held two informational sessions in December and January to answer patients’ questions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026

Together, we wrangled the cot onto its casters.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• bunk