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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Cotton \Cot"ton\ (k[o^]t"t'n), n. [F. coton, Sp. algodon the
cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr.
Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. {Acton}, {Hacqueton}.]
1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting
of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds
of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber
sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two
thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.
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2. The cotton plant. See {Cotten plant}, below.
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3. Cloth made of cotton.
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Note: Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a
sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cotton
bagging; cotton cloth; cotton goods; cotton industry;
cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick.
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{Cotton cambric}. See {Cambric}, n., 2.

{Cotton flannel}, the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton
fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it
is called {swan's-down cotton}, or {Canton flannel}.

{Cotton gin}, a machine to separate the seeds from cotton,
invented by Eli Whitney.

{Cotton grass} (Bot.), a genus of plants ({Eriphorum}) of the
Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles
surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate
at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton.

{Cotton mouse} (Zool.), a field mouse ({Hesperomys
gossypinus}), injurious to cotton crops.

{Cotton plant} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Gossypium}, of
several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing
the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally
Asiatic, is {Gossypium herbaceum}.

{Cotton press}, a building and machinery in which cotton
bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a
press for baling cotton.

{Cotton rose} (Bot.), a genus of composite herbs ({Filago}),
covered with a white substance resembling cotton.

{Cotton scale} (Zool.), a species of bark louse ({Pulvinaria
innumerabilis}), which does great damage to the cotton
plant.

{Cotton shrub}. Same as Cotton plant.

{Cotton stainer} (Zool.), a species of hemipterous insect
({Dysdercus suturellus}), which seriously damages growing
cotton by staining it; -- called also {redbug}.

{Cotton thistle} (Bot.), the Scotch thistle. See under
{Thistle}.

{Cotton velvet}, velvet in which the warp and woof are both
of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made
wholly of cotton.

{Cotton waste}, the refuse of cotton mills.

{Cotton wool}, cotton in its raw or woolly state.

{Cotton worm} (Zool.), a lepidopterous insect ({Aletia
argillacea}), which in the larval state does great damage
to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on
corn, etc., and hence is often called {corn worm}, and
{Southern army worm}.
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Cotton \Cot"ton\, v. i.
1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.]
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It cottons well; it can not choose but bear
A pretty nap. --Family of
Love.
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2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.]
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New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I
would? --Lyly.
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3. To unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed
by with. [Colloq.]
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A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off,
in which case it will not be easy to cotton with
another. --Swift.
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Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in
with his beggarly companion? --Sir W.
Scott.
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4. To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used
with to. [Slang]
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