sea-island cotton
Americannoun
noun
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a cotton plant, Gossypium barbadense, of the Sea Islands, widely cultivated for its fine long fibres
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the fibre of this plant or the material woven from it
Etymology
Origin of sea-island cotton
An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805
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.
Foppish back story: Most men cannot afford to buy shirts made of sea-island cotton.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2012
And for all its charms, sea-island cotton is still not nearly as warm or soft as cashmere.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2012
Bresciani 100 percent sea-island cotton Another $59 entrant from the Italian hosiery specialists.
From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2012
"My white shirts are made of sea-island cotton," Sander explains, "in the finest gauge you can spin."
From Time Magazine Archive
For a hundred years a settlement has existed there, but it was not until the people discovered the wealth of the turpentine forests and of the sea-island cotton industry that the town became highly prosperous.
From Following the Color Line an account of Negro citizenship in the American democracy by Grayson, David
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
