cottonwood

American

[kot-n-wood] / ˈkɒt nˌwʊd /

noun

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

cottonwood British

/ 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

Etymology

Origin of cottonwood

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; cotton + wood ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Cottonwood School, located next door to the ICE building, relocated in August after "munitions" kept being found in the playground, according to school officials.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

“Incredibly fast,” boasts the descriptor for this month’s Big Cottonwood in Salt Lake City.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 17, 2025

Brooksee, the Utah company behind the Revel series that includes Big Cottonwood, keeps growing its field of runners.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 17, 2025

Big Cottonwood faces fewer avalanche-related road closures than its smaller counterpart, but can still be a traffic nightmare on powder days and weekends.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 10, 2024

Cottonwood seeds drifted down on their pale cushions, disappeared into the blackness.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023