kapok

See also: kapók and kápók

English

Alternative forms

• capoc

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay kapuk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪpɒk/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

kapok (countable and uncountable, plural kapoks)

1. A silky fibre obtained from the silk-cotton tree used for insulation and stuffing for pillows, mattresses, etc.
   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, p. 492:

     The moon came out of hiding and for a moment Jerry forgot his anxiety as a little grey-clad figure, small and sturdy [...], in a kapok coat and bulging proletarian cap, lowered himself over the side and leapt for the waiting arms of the sampan's crew.

   • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber & Faber 2003, p. 39:

     You can stuff them full of kapok to make a decent cushion and there is nothing better to carry frogs in.

   • 1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador 2014, p. 15:

     A still summer night a world away in a house that smells of cactus and dust and musty kapok.

Derived terms

• kapok tree

Translations

silky fiber from the silk-cotton tree

• Bulgarian: капок m (kapok)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 木棉 (zh) (mùmián)

• Finnish: kapokki (fi)
• German: Kapok m
• Indonesian: kapuk (id), randu (id)
• Irish: capóc f, capac m
• Italian: capoc m
• Kyrgyz: капок (ky) (kapok)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: kapuk, kekabu
• Romanian: capoc (ro) m
• Russian: капо́к (ru) m (kapók)
• Sanskrit: कूटशाल्मलि (sa) m or f (kūṭaśālmali)
• Spanish: capoc m
• Tagalog: buboy
• Thai: นุ่น (th) (nûn)

Anagrams

• Kopka

---

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ka‧pok

Noun

kapok

1. (rare) the kapok tree or silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
2. (rare) the fiber obtained from this tree

---

Hungarian

Etymology

kap +‎ -ok

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɒpok]
• Hyphenation: ka‧pok

Verb

kapok

1. first-person singular indicative present indefinite of kap