cotton picker

American  

noun

1. a machine for removing the ripe cotton fiber from the standing plant.

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cotton picker British  

noun

1. a machine for harvesting cotton fibre

2. a person who picks ripe cotton fibre from the plants

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Etymology

Origin of cotton picker

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

The mother of eight had worked as a cotton picker in the 1940s in Bakersfield, later moving to Los Angeles and attending church in Compton.

From Los Angeles Times

Rafer Lewis Johnson was born during the Depression, Aug. 18, 1935, in Hillsboro, Texas, the second of six children born to Lewis Johnson, a cotton picker and farm handyman, and Alma Gibson Johnson.

From Los Angeles Times

Not just with January’s tragedy or March’s closures, but rather an all-encompassing look at this remarkable team, which traces back to a 13-year-old Black boy who wanted to be the best cotton picker in Mississippi.

From Los Angeles Times

A child of the Deep South, Haywood, a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee, has said that his only goal growing up was to be the best cotton picker in all of Mississippi.

From Los Angeles Times

Rozier drew public scrutiny in 2018 when he called a commenter on Facebook a “cotton picker,” The Savannah Morning News reported.

From Washington Times