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.

---

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

---

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

Often, Dr. Sanz said, interactions occurred after a band of chimps located an exciting meal, such as a fruiting strangler fig or kapok.

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 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

Right smack in the middle of the village is a huge kapok tree, which is where they get together and have their market every fifth day.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver