cottonwood

[ kot-n-woo d ]

/ ˈkɒt nˌwʊd /

noun

any of several American poplars, as Populus deltoides, having toothed, triangular leaves and cottonlike tufts on the seeds.

Nearby words

cottonseed meal, cottonseed oil, cottontail, cottonweed, cottonwick, cottonwood, cottony, cottony-cushion scale, cottus, cotula, cotunnite

Origin of cottonwood

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; cotton + wood¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cottonwood

We met under the shade of a cottonwood in a parking lot behind a baseball stadium.
The Devil’s Drug: The True Story of Meth in New Mexico|Nick Romeo|August 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She was looking for a spring bed on one of the low limbs of the cottonwood tree.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 5 [May 1902]|Various
It was more than two miles to the beginning of the cottonwood grove, and one cannot walk very fast and lead a horse, too.
Frances of the Ranges|Amy Bell Marlowe
A cottonwood tree, nearly two feet in diameter, was sawed into wheels.
The Conquest|Eva Emery Dye

Where a growth of cottonwood had held back the encroachment of the willows there usually was thick grass and underbrush.
The Lone Star Ranger|Zane Grey
They rested closely on the willows by the ford, the cottonwood grove to the left, and the big rocks beyond the creek.
The Sheriff's Son|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for cottonwood

cottonwood

/ (ˈkɒtənˌwʊd) /

noun

any of several North American poplars, esp Populus deltoides, whose seeds are covered with cottony hairs

Also called: tauhinu a native New Zealand shrub, Cassinia leptophylla, with daisy-like flowers

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012