kapok

American  

[key-pok] / ˈkeɪ pɒk /

noun

1. the silky down that invests the seeds of a silk-cotton tree kapoktree, Ceiba pentandra, of the East Indies, Africa, and tropical America: used for stuffing pillows, life jackets, etc., and for acoustical insulation.

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kapok British  

/ ˈkeɪpɒk /

noun

1. Also called: silk cotton.  a silky fibre obtained from the hairs covering the seeds of a tropical bombacaceous tree, Ceiba pentandra ( kapok tree or silk-cotton tree ): used for stuffing pillows, etc, and for sound insulation

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Etymology

Origin of kapok

1740–50; < Javanese (or Malay of Java and Sumatra) kapuk the name of the tree

Example Sentences

The kapok tree stood in the middle of a roundabout in central Freetown near the national museum and the president's office.

From Reuters • May 25, 2023

As we ventured further into Casamance by dug-out canoe, itself built from a single piece of wood hewn from the roots of a kapok tree, the true value of the project was brought into focus.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2022

Perhaps the most eloquent examples are a roomful of coiled sculptures made from women’s mesh tights stuffed with kapok.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2019

Star-shaped trunks of Ceiba petandra, or kapok trees, stretch up and tower over the islands.

From The Guardian • Nov. 6, 2018

We can look out our door and know when the butcher marché is open for business, if the big kapok tree down there is filled with black buzzards.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver