cotton
[ kot-n ]
/ ˈkɒt n /
noun
verb (used without object)
Informal.
to get on well together; agree.
Obsolete.
to prosper or succeed.
Verb Phrases
cotton (on) to, Informal.
- to become fond of; begin to like.
- to approve of; agree with: to cotton to a suggestion.
- to come to a full understanding of; grasp: More and more firms are cottoning on to the advantages of using computers.
Origin of cotton
1250–1300; Middle English
coton < Old French < Old Italian
cotone < Arabic
qutun, variant of
qutn
OTHER WORDS FROM cotton
half-cot·ton, adjective sem·i·cot·ton, noun un·cot·toned, adjectiveWords nearby cotton
Definition for cotton (2 of 2)
Cotton
[ kot-n ]
/ ˈkɒt n /
noun
John,1584–1652,
U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).
Example sentences from the Web for cotton
British Dictionary definitions for cotton (1 of 2)
cotton
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
noun
any of various herbaceous plants and shrubs of the malvaceous genus Gossypium, such as sea-island cotton, cultivated in warm climates for the fibre surrounding the seeds and the oil within the seeds
See also sea-island cotton
the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles
cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop
- a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres
- (as modifier)a cotton dress
any substance, such as kapok (silk cotton), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants
Derived forms of cotton
cottony, adjectiveWord Origin for cotton
C14: from Old French
coton, from Arabic dialect
qutun, from Arabic
qutn
British Dictionary definitions for cotton (2 of 2)
Cotton
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
noun
Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)