cotton gin

noun

1. a machine for separating the fibers of cotton from the seeds.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cotton gin¹

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

“Any time a cotton gin burned down in the South, they pointed to the Wide Awakes and other more radical antislavery Northerners and said, ‘This is arson.’”

From Los Angeles Times

In addition to farming 3,100 acres, the family soon operated a seed and fertilizer business, warehouses, a peanut-shelling plant and a cotton gin.

From Los Angeles Times

Keeping up with the pace of technology has challenged Congress since the steam engine and the cotton gin transformed the nation’s industrial and agricultural sectors.

From Seattle Times

A foreman, he ran the Hermitage cotton gin—an important position on the farm, where cotton was a cash crop.

From Literature

Mechanical cotton gins facilitated the 19th century expansion of slavery in the American South.

From Reuters