cotton

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Cotton plants.
See also Cotton

Contents

English [edit]

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Etymology 1 [edit]

Middle English cotoun, from Anglo-Norman cotun, from Old Italian (Genoa) cotone, from Arabic (Egypt) قطن (qúţun), (Hispano-Arab) quṭūn, variants of Arabic قُطْن (quṭn), from root *qţn, possibly originally from Ancient Egyptian.

Cognate to Dutch katoen, German Kattun, Italian cotone, Spanish algodón, and Portuguese algodão.[1]

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

cotton (plural cottons)

  1. A plant that encases its seed in a thin fiber that is harvested and used as a fabric or cloth.
  2. A type of plant used as a source of cotton fiber.
  3. (textiles) The textile made from the fiber harvested from the cotton plant.
  4. An item of clothing made from cotton.
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
plant
fiber
fabric

Adjective [edit]

cotton (not comparable)

  1. Made of cotton.
Translations [edit]
made of cotton

Etymology 2 [edit]

1560s, either from Welsh cydun, cytun (“agree, coincide”) (cyduno, cytuno), from cyd, cyt + un (“one”), literally “to be at one with”, or by metaphor with the textile, as cotton blended well with other textiles, notably wool in hat-making.[1][2][3]

Verb [edit]

cotton (third-person singular simple present cottons, present participle cottoning, simple past and past participle cottoned)

  1. To get on with someone or something; to have a good relationship with someone.
    • 1873, All the Year Round[1], page 286:
      I want to tell you the Dukes, both mother and son, are cottoning to her fast enough
    • 2009 March 21, Farhad Manjoo, “A Conference That Starts on Time and Stays on Schedule”, The New York Times:
      The conference — Mr. Allen’s first gathering, and, depending on the economic outlook, maybe his last — brought together entrepreneurs, techies, writers and even some middle managers who’ve cottoned on to his ideas.
Translations [edit]
get on with — see get on with
have a good relationship
Usage notes [edit]

Generally used with prepositions on, to; see cotton on, cotton to.

Derived terms [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “cotton” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).
  2. ^ Take Our Word For It: Issue 178, page 2
  3. ^ Folk-etymology: a dictionary of verbal corruptions or words perverted in form or meaning, by false derivation or mistaken analogy, Abram Smythe Palmer, G. Bell and Sons, 1882, p. 76
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