silk-cotton tree

[ silk-kot-n ]
/ ˈsɪlkˌkɒt n /

noun

any of several spiny trees belonging to the genus Ceiba, of the bombax family, having palmately compound leaves and seeds surrounded by silk cotton, especially C. pentandra, from which kapok is obtained.

Origin of silk-cotton tree

First recorded in 1705–15

Words nearby silk-cotton tree

silk gland, silk hat, silk oak, silk paper, silk tree, silk-cotton tree, silk-screen printing, silk-stocking, silk-tassel, silkaline, silken

Example sentences from the Web for silk-cotton tree

  • They were the giants of the West Indian forest—the silk-cotton-tree (Eriodendron anfractuosum).

    The Maroon |Mayne Reid

  • Here the vast ceiba, or silk-cotton-tree, is abundant, from which canoes are frequently hollowed out.

    The Western World |W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for silk-cotton tree

silk-cotton tree

noun

any of several tropical bombacaceous trees of the genus Ceiba, esp Ceiba pentandra, having seeds covered with silky hairs from which kapok is obtained Also called: kapok tree