- silk cotton
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the silky covering of the seeds of certain tropical trees of the bombax family, used for stuffing cushions, pillows, etc.[1690-1700]
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Universalium. 2010.
silk cotton
Look at other dictionaries:
Silk cotton — Silk Silk, n. [OE. silk, selk, AS. seolc, seoloc; akin to Icel. silki, SW. & Dan. silke; prob. through Slavic from an Oriental source; cf. Lith. szilkai, Russ. shelk , and also L. sericum Seric stuff, silk. Cf. {Sericeous}. {Serge} a woolen stuff … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
silk cotton — n. KAPOK … English World dictionary
silk cotton — noun Date: 1697 the silky or cottony covering of seeds of various silk cotton trees; especially kapok … New Collegiate Dictionary
Silk-cotton tree — Silk Silk, n. [OE. silk, selk, AS. seolc, seoloc; akin to Icel. silki, SW. & Dan. silke; prob. through Slavic from an Oriental source; cf. Lith. szilkai, Russ. shelk , and also L. sericum Seric stuff, silk. Cf. {Sericeous}. {Serge} a woolen stuff … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
silk-cotton tree — /silk kot n/ any of several spiny trees belonging to the genus Ceiba, of the bombax family, having palmately compound leaves and seeds surrounded by silk cotton, esp. C. pentandra, from which kapok is obtained. [1705 15] * * * … Universalium
silk-cotton tree — [silk′kät΄ n] n. any of several large, tropical, trees (genera Bombax and Ceiba) of the bombax family that have capsular fruits with silky hairs around the seeds … English World dictionary
silk cotton — silk like fabric made from cotton fibers … English contemporary dictionary
silk cotton — silk′ cot ton n. tex kapok • Etymology: 1690–1700 … From formal English to slang
silk-cotton tree — noun Date: 1712 any of various tropical trees (family Bombacaceae, the silk cotton family) with palmate leaves and large fruits with the seeds enveloped by silk cotton; especially ceiba 1 … New Collegiate Dictionary
silk-cotton tree — /sɪlk ˈkɒtn ˌtri/ (say silk kotn .tree) noun any of several trees of the family Bombacaceae, having seeds surrounded by silk cotton, especially Ceiba pentandra, from which kapok is obtained …
silk-cotton tree — noun massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber • Syn: ↑kapok, ↑ceiba tree, ↑white silk cotton tree, ↑Bombay ceiba, ↑God tree, ↑Ceiba… … Useful english dictionary
