cotton

B1 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /ˈkɑt.n̩/ UK /ˈkɒt.n̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #4592

Meanings

1

noun
A soft cloth or thread made from the cotton plant.

She wore a light cotton dress on the hot summer day.
2

noun
The plant grown to produce this soft white material.

Vast fields of cotton stretched across the southern farmland.
3

verb
To begin to like or get along with someone or something.

The new student quickly cottoned to her classmates.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms cottonedcottoningcottons

Derived forms cellucottoncotton-candycotton-headedcotton-pickingcotton-spinnercotton-topcotton-woolcotton-woolycottonfieldcottongrasscottonizecottonless

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

cotton fabric
cloth made from cotton fibers

Noun + noun
upland cotton
a cultivated cotton plant originally from tropical America that produces short-staple fiber

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Cotton entered English in the late Middle English period from Arabic quṭn.

Etymology

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.

cydun cy

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# cotton

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɑt.n̩/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɒt.n̩/
**Frequency rank:** 4592

## Meanings
1. A soft cloth or thread made from the cotton plant.
2. The plant grown to produce this soft white material.
3. To begin to like or get along with someone or something.

## Examples
- She wore a light cotton dress on the hot summer day.
- Vast fields of cotton stretched across the southern farmland.
- The new student quickly cottoned to her classmates.

## Derived Forms
- cellucotton
- cotton-candy
- cotton-headed
- cotton-picking
- cotton-spinner
- cotton-top
- cotton-wool
- cotton-wooly
- cottonfield
- cottongrass
- cottonize
- cottonless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: cydun

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
cotton is first recorded as 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. Current senses include A soft cloth or thread made from the cotton plant and The plant grown to produce this soft white material. English relatives and later formations include cellucotton, cotton-candy, cotton-headed.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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