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cotton wool
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noun
cotton in its raw state, as on the boll or gathered but unprocessed.
British. absorbent cotton.
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Origin of cotton wool
First recorded in 1590–1600
Words nearby cotton wool
cotton top, cotton waste, cottonweed, cottonwick, cottonwood, cotton wool, cottony, cottony-cushion scale, cottus, cotula, cotunnite
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cotton wool in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cotton wool
cotton wool
noun
Also called: purified cotton mainly British bleached and sterilized cotton from which the gross impurities, such as the seeds and waxy matter, have been removed: used for surgical dressings, tampons, etcUsual US term: absorbent cotton
cotton in the natural state
British informal
- a state of pampered comfort and protection
- (as modifier)a cotton-wool existence
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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