cottonwood

[kot-n-woo d]

noun

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

Nearby words

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

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