silk cotton

American  

noun

1. the silky covering of the seeds of certain tropical trees of the bombax family, used for stuffing cushions, pillows, etc.

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silk cotton British  

noun

1. another name for kapok

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Etymology

Origin of silk cotton

First recorded in 1690–1700

Example Sentences

It was also made with especially rich materials: a combination of silk, cotton and pashmina wool.

From Washington Post • Mar. 28, 2023

Printed on silk, cotton, linen and other materials using traditional screen-printing techniques — cut stencils or, on occasion, photo transfers — the imagery is figurative as well as abstract.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2022

The history echoes kudzu’s Japanese history as a folkloric textile eclipsed by the silk, cotton, and jute industry.

From Slate • Aug. 28, 2021

They come in silk, cotton and synthetics; with filters and without; over-the-head and over-the-ears.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2020

I saw coconut and Borassus palms, pawpaw trees, baobabs, and a giant silk cotton rising above all the others, a large nest silhouetted in its top branches.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo