cotton

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Material & textiles, Plants, Sewing & knitting

cot·ton1 /ˈkɒtn $ ˈkɑːtn/ ●●● W3 noun [uncountable]  1  TIMcloth or thread made from the white hair of the cotton plant 棉布；棉纱 a white cotton shirt 白色棉布衬衫 Made from 100% cotton. 百分之百纯棉制作。 →4  See picture of 见图 MATERIAL2. HBPa plant with white hairs on its seeds that are used for making cotton cloth and thread 棉株〔植物〕3  British EnglishDLH thread used for sewing 〔缝纫用的〕线 a needle and cotton 针和线 a cotton reel (=small round tube which cotton thread is wound around) 线轴 →5 see picture at 见图 reel24. American English cotton wool 药棉，脱脂棉n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthin/light cottona thin cotton dressfine cotton (=thin and good quality)For summer, fine cotton is more comfortable.pure cotton (=not mixed with any other materials)shirts made from pure cottonraw cotton (=natural, and not prepared for use)They imported raw cotton from America.50%/100 per cent etc cottonThese lightweight trousers are made from 100% cotton.cotton + NOUNa cotton shirt/dress/jacket etcEgyptian cotton sheets are very expensive here.cotton cloth/fabriccotton cloth from Indiacotton thread (=long thin cotton string that you use for sewing)I need some dark blue cotton thread.the cotton industry/tradeThe cotton industry began to boom in the 1780s.a cotton field/farmer/plantation etcTexas produced half of the US cotton crop.a cotton mill (=factory where cotton is made into thread or cloth)verbsbe made of/from cottonThe fabric is made of cotton or wool.

Examples from the Corpus

cotton• The towels are 100% cotton.• In addition, water-intensive crops such as rice should be abandoned in favour of wheat and cotton.• The photographs of black cotton pickers, including young children, are reminders of the harsh reality underlying the glory.• And it was for cotton that the first real factories came into being.• fields of cotton and corn• You're like a sea of cotton wool.• We were five miles out of Sabinal in the cotton fields and grape vineyards.• This enabled Whessoe to stamp its by now ubiquitously accepted name on the conduit that supplied vital water to the cotton city.• A white cotton Mondrian laundry bag will set a guest back $ 60.cotton2 verb  1 cotton on phrasal verb informal UNDERSTANDto begin to understand something 开始明白，领会 → realize It took me a while to cotton on. 我过了一会儿才明白过来。 to Sarah soon cottoned on to what he was trying to do. 萨拉马上明白了他想干什么。2 cotton to somebody/something phrasal verb American English informal LIKE somebody OR somethingto begin to like a person, idea etc 开始喜欢 SYN take to I didn’t cotton to her at first, but she’s really nice. 我一开始并不喜欢她，但是她真的很好。→ See Verb tableOrigin cotton1 (1300-1400) Old French coton, from Arabic qutn cotton2 (1800-1900) cotton “to be successful” ((16-19 centuries)), perhaps from cotton (of cloth) “to form a soft surface” ((15-19 centuries)), from → COTTON1

cot·ton1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1cotton2 verbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

Corpus made from white cloth thread the or

Cotton
Cotton, Henry
(1907–87), a British golfer who won several important competitions in the 1930s and 1940s. After he stopped playing he wrote about golf for the newspapers and also became a golf course architect.

cotton

I

cot‧ton¹ W3 /ˈkɒtn $ ˈkɑːtn/ noun [uncountable]1. cloth or thread made from the white hair of the cotton plant:
    a white cotton shirt
    Made from 100% cotton.
2. a plant with white hairs on its seeds that are used for making cotton cloth and thread
3. British English thread used for sewing:
    a needle and cotton
    a cotton reel (=small round tube which cotton thread is wound around)
4. American English cotton wool
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ thin/light cotton a thin cotton dress
   ▪ fine cotton (=thin and good quality) For summer, fine cotton is more comfortable.
   ▪ pure cotton (=not mixed with any other materials) shirts made from pure cotton
   ▪ raw cotton (=natural, and not prepared for use) They imported raw cotton from America.
   ▪ 50%/100 per cent etc cotton These lightweight trousers are made from 100% cotton.
■ cotton + NOUN
   ▪ a cotton shirt/dress/jacket etc Egyptian cotton sheets are very expensive here.
   ▪ cotton cloth/fabric cotton cloth from India
   ▪ cotton thread (=long thin cotton string that you use for sewing) I need some dark blue cotton thread.
   ▪ the cotton industry/trade The cotton industry began to boom in the 1780s.
   ▪ a cotton field/farmer/plantation etc Texas produced half of the US cotton crop.
   ▪ a cotton mill (=factory where cotton is made into thread or cloth)
■ verbs
   ▪ be made of/from cotton The fabric is made of cotton or wool.

II

cotton² verb
     
cotton on phrasal verb informal
  to begin to understand something ⇨ realize:
    It took me a while to cotton on.
    cotton on to
    Sarah soon cottoned on to what he was trying to do.
cotton to somebody/something phrasal verb American English informal
  to begin to like a person, idea etc
   SYN  take to:
    I didn’t cotton to her at first, but she’s really nice.