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cotton
[ kot-n ]
/ ˈkɒt n /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
verb (used without object)
Informal. to get on well together; agree.
Obsolete. to prosper or succeed.
Verb Phrases
cotton (on) to, Informal.
- to become fond of; begin to like.
- to approve of; agree with: to cotton to a suggestion.
- to come to a full understanding of; grasp: More and more firms are cottoning on to the advantages of using computers.
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Origin of cotton
1250–1300; Middle English coton<Old French <Old Italian cotone<Arabic qutun, variant of qutn
OTHER WORDS FROM cotton
half-cotton, adjectivesem·i·cot·ton, nounun·cot·toned, adjectiveWords nearby cotton
Other definitions for cotton (2 of 2)
Cotton
[ kot-n ]
/ ˈkɒt n /
noun
John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use cotton in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cotton (1 of 2)
cotton
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
noun
any of various herbaceous plants and shrubs of the malvaceous genus Gossypium, such as sea-island cotton, cultivated in warm climates for the fibre surrounding the seeds and the oil within the seedsSee also sea-island cotton
the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles
cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop
- a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres
- (as modifier)a cotton dress
any substance, such as kapok (silk cotton), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants
Derived forms of cotton
cottony, adjectiveWord Origin for cotton
C14: from Old French coton, from Arabic dialect qutun, from Arabic qutn
British Dictionary definitions for cotton (2 of 2)
Cotton
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
noun
Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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