kapok
[ key-pok ]
/ ˈkeɪ pɒk /
noun
the silky down that invests the seeds of a silk-cotton tree (ka·pok tree), Ceiba pentandra, of the East Indies, Africa, and tropical America: used for stuffing pillows, life jackets, etc., and for acoustical insulation.
Also called
Java cotton.
Origin of kapok
1740–50; < Javanese (or Malay of Java and Sumatra)
kapuk the name of the tree
Words nearby kapok
kapila,
kapitsa,
kapitza,
kaplan,
kapo,
kapok,
kapok oil,
kaposi's sarcoma,
kaposi's varicelliform eruption,
kapote,
kappa
Example sentences from the Web for kapok
British Dictionary definitions for kapok
kapok
/ (ˈkeɪpɒk) /
noun
a silky fibre obtained from the hairs covering the seeds of a tropical bombacaceous tree, Ceiba pentandra (kapok tree or silk-cotton tree): used for stuffing pillows, etc, and for sound insulation
Also called: silk cotton
Word Origin for kapok
C18: from Malay