4 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Cotton \Cot"ton\ (k[o^]t"t'n), n. [F. coton, Sp. algodon the
cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr.
Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. {Acton}, {Hacqueton}.]
1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting
of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds
of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber
sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two
thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.
2. The cotton plant. See {Cotten plant}, below.
3. Cloth made of cotton.
Note: Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a
sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cotton
bagging; cotton cloth; cotton goods; cotton industry;
cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick.
{Cotton cambric}. See {Cambric}, n., 2.
{Cotton flannel}, the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton
fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it
is called swan's-down cotton, or Canton flannel.
{Cotton gin}, a machine to separate the seeds from cotton,
invented by Eli Whitney.
{Cotton grass} (Bot.), a genus of plants ({Eriphorum}) of the
Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles
surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate
at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton.
{Cotton mouse} (Zool.), a field mouse ({Hesperomys
gossypinus}), injurious to cotton crops.
{Cotton plant} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Gossypium}, of
several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing
the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally
Asiatic, is {G. herbaceum}.
{Cotton press}, a building and machinery in which cotton
bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a
press for baling cotton.
{Cotton rose} (Bot.), a genus of composite herbs ({Filago}),
covered with a white substance resembling cotton.
{Cotton scale} (Zo["o]l.), a species of bark louse
({Pulvinaria innumerabilis}), which does great damage to
the cotton plant.
{Cotton shrub}. Same as Cotton plant.
{Cotton stainer} (Zo["o]l.), a species of hemipterous insect
({Dysdercus suturellus}), which seriously damages growing
cotton by staining it; -- called also {redbug}.
{Cotton thistle} (Bot.), the Scotch thistle. See under
{Thistle}.
{Cotton velvet}, velvet in which the warp and woof are both
of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made
wholly of cotton.
{Cotton waste}, the refuse of cotton mills.
{Cotton wool}, cotton in its raw or woolly state.
{Cotton worm} (Zool.), a lepidopterous insect ({Aletia
argillacea}), which in the larval state does great damage
to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on
corn, etc., and hence is often called {corn worm}, and
{Southern army worm}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Cotton \Cot"ton\, v. i.
1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.]
It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty
nap. --Family of
Love.
2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.]
New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I
would? --Lyly.
3. To unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed
by with. [Colloq.]
A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off,
in which case it will not be easy to cotton with
another. --Swift.
Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in
with his beggarly companion? --Sir W.
Scott.
4. To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used
with to. [Slang]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
cotton
n 1: silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state [syn: {cotton
wool}]
2: fabric woven from cotton fibers [syn: {cotton cloth}]
3: erect bushy mallow plant or small tree bearing bolls
containing seeds with many long hairy fibers [syn: {cotton
plant}]
4: thread made of cotton fibers
v : take a liking to; "cotton to something"
From eng-fra [engfra]:
cotton
[kɔtn]
coton
coton