cotton 
3. Thread made of cotton : as, a spool of ration 
contains 1^00 yards. 4f. Tin- wick of a candle. 
i , . . . weekcs or ro^on* of candles. Ftm-io. 
5. The cotton-plant ; cotton-plants collectively. 
Absorbent COttOn, cot ton freed fr tatty matters, for 
Use in surgery. COrkWOOd COttOn. See silk' rnllun, he 
1'iu. Cotton famine, a term used to ih -si -i ilir the dis- 
astrous depression produced ill Itritish manufactures by 
the- American civil war. which hindered the exportation 
nil, in from the southern I'nited State's. COttOn 
States, in I'. >'. ti>*'., those states in whirh i otton is 
ii, ,n nil prodin 'I'd. especially South I'arolina, Li or-ia, Flor- 
ida. Uahama. Mississippi. I isiana, Texas, and Arkansas: 
to these North Carolina and Teime>vei an- often added. 
French COttOn, the silky down ot ri//<.//'u/<i'- y.-.*vm, an 
a.sclcpiadaccons plantof Africa and southern Asia. - Gray 
COttOn, a commercial name for unbleached and undyed 
cotton doth. Also called 'imii IIIH*>*. Lavender-cot- 
ton, the popular name of S<inliolinn dutOUKypuntiVI, a 
dwarf com|Hisite .shrub of southern Dnrope, clothed with 
a dense hoary pubescence-. Marine cotton. Same as 
m/.-m<*. Mineral COttOn, a tine metallic tlber, common- 
h called III/MO-II/ in,t. Philosophic COttOU, flowers of 
/inc. which resemble cotton. Sea-island cotton, the 
eiitton grown on the islands and .sea-ciiast in the southern 
I mted Slates, especially between Charleston and Savan- 
nah. Silicate cotton, furnace-slag changed into a 
tlbrmis mass resembling wool by a strong jet of steam 
turned upon it as it rims from the furnace. Also called 
xlti'.j->ntt>l. --Silk-cotton, the silky covering of the seeds 
of Kri<Hli'u<frniiitnri-<"-l"i,<u ,,i, of jlombax Malabaririnii,"! 
<>!/:, ':>ui<: bagoptu (also called corkwood cotton), and other 
homhaceous trees of the tropics. It Is used for slutting 
<-ii-l ^ and for other similar purposes, hut Is of no value 
for textile use. -Soluble COttOU, gnneiitlon. soluble III 
I'lheror ether and alcohol. Sec :-n//n:liu,i. Upland COt- 
ton, cotton grown on the uplands of the southern I nited 
States. 
II. ". Made of cotton ; consisting of cotton : 
as, cotton cloth. 
He brought to her a cotton gown. 
Rob Roy (Child's Ballads, VI. 205). 
Cotton batting, a preparation of raw cotton for stuffing 
or quilting, usually in rolls. Cotton damaflk, a ma- 
terial, woven in different colors, used for curtains and 
upholstery. Cotton flannel. Same as Cnntttti fiannfi 
(which see, under jlanurl). -Cotton parchment, a |rch- 
nieiit -like material made from cleaned cotton fiber by di- 
gesting it in a solution of sulphuric acid, glycerin, and 
water, ami then rolling it into sheets. Cotton prints, 
ri'tdin cloth printed in various colors and patterns. See 
calico. Cotton TOP, n heavy colored cotton cloth used 
for the lining of curtains, etc. Cotton velvet, a cotton 
fabric made in imitation of silk velvet, used for dresses, 
etc., now called vrln-tf-n. Cotton wadding, a prepared 
sheet or roll of raw cotton, similar to the batting, only 
much thinner and inclosed Iwtween glazed surfaces, used 
tni interlining and quitting. 
cotton 1 (kot'n), r. [<. cotton' 1 , .] I. intrans. 
To rise with a nap, like cotton. 
It cotton* well ; it cannot choose but bear 
A pretty nap. Miilillftim, Family of Love, lii. 2. 
II, trans. To envelop in cotton ; hence, to 
coddle: make much of. [Kare.] 
Already in our society, as it exists, the liourgeois is too 
much euttnued about for any zest In living. 
Contemporary Rec., LI. 477. 
cotton 2 (kot'n), v. i. [Common E. dial., also 
written cotten; origin uncertain. Wedgwood 
connects it with cot. a fleece of wool matted to- 
gether, a lock of wool or hair clung together: 
see cot 2 .] 1. To agree; suit; fit or go well to- 
gether. 
rd's foot, I must take some pains, I see, or we shall 
never have this gear cutlen. J. Cook, Green's Tu Quoque. 
How now, lads ? does our conceit cotton f 
UMleton, Family of Love, v. 3. 
2. To become closely or intimately associated 
(with); acquire a strong liking (for) ; take(to): 
absolutely or with to, formerly icith. [Colloq.] 
A quarrel will end in one of yon being turned off, in 
which case it will not be easy to cotton with another. 
Swift. 
For when once Madam Fortune deals out her hard raps, 
It's amazing to think 
How one <:<lt<KI* In llrtllk ! 
Barliinii, Ingoldsby Legends. I. 312. 
COttonade (kot-n-ad'), ii. [< cotton 1 + -tide 1 .] 
A name given to different varieties of cotton 
cloth, generally to inferior, coarser, and less 
durable kinds. 
He was dressed ill a suit of Attakapas collniuule. 
ii. II. <,, i ild Creole Days, p. 9.V 
COttonaryt (kot'n-a-ri), a. Pertaining to or 
made of cotton. 
(W/imri/ and woolly pillows. Sir T. Rrotmt. 
cotton-blue (kot'n-blo 1 ), n. A coal-tar color 
similar to soluble blue, used in dyeing. See 
bine, n. 
cotton-broker (kot'n-bro'ker), n. A broker 
who deals in cotton. 
COtton-cake (kol 'n-kiik), n. The pake remain- 
ing after the oil has been expressed from the 
seeds of the cotton-plant. It is used as food for 
eaitte. 
cotton-chopper (kot'n-rhop'6r), i. An imple- 
ment tor cutting openings in a row of growing 
1295 
cotton-plants, HO as to leave them in hunches 
or hills, 
cotton-cleaner (kot'n-kle'ner), . Same as 
fitttttn-lnfk* I', -. 
cottonee (kot-n-e'), . [< cotton 1 + -.] A 
Turkish fabric of cotton and silk satinet. 
cotton-elevator (kot'n-el'e-va-tor), n. In a 
cotton-mill, a tube through which cotton is 
raised to the upper floors by means of an air- 
blast or by straps armed with spikes. 
cotton-floater (kot'n-flo'ter), n. An india-rub- 
ber cover in which bales of cotton are placed 
ID be floated down rivers. 
cotton-gin (kot'n-jin), . A machine used in 
separating the seeds from cotton fibers, The 
earliest cotton-gin was the tair-yin. Invented by Kli w lilt 
cotton-tree 
and south "f tli |tutr. All the species are perennial 
and he. 'MI IK- s .n lew hat -hi nlili\ but ill eulth at ion t < 
Usual! "inuals. I !M > li:n lilt' 1 n.ile ' 
and lolled 1- be. niiiiii^ ieddish 
oil the -'ii'll'l 'lav, and a three ill ll\i '" 
whieh lilll-l- up' n \\lletl lip.' tlll-'ll^ll tile middle of the 
Cells, HtH-rating the nilmepills I. lark seeds inM-red with 
the beautiful til, MI,, ni-m- 11 it ton. The species yielding the 
Cottun-eln. 
ney (1765-1825) in 1792. 
In this the filler rests 
upon or against a grid, 
into the openings of 
which project the teeth 
of a gang of saws mount- 
ed niionarevolving man- 
drel. The teeth of the 
saws catch the fillers and 
draw them away from 
the seeds. The latter, 
being too large to pass 
through the openings, 
roll downward and out of 
the machine. Tin fibers, 
removed from the saws by a revolving brush, pass between 
rollers, and are delivered from the machine In the form 
of a lap. Other and similar machines have projecting 
needles, or hooked or covered wire teeth, instead of saws. 
In the rollrr-gin the fibers are drawn between rollers 
guarded by blades which prevent the passage of the seeds. 
Another form has an intermittent action, the fibers being 
held between nipping blades and the seeds pushed clear 
from them, fiber and seed being delivered In different di- 
rections. 
cotton-grass (kot'n-gras), n. The popular name 
of plants of the genus Eriophorum, natural or- 
der t'yperaceu:. They are rush-like plants, common 
in swampy places, with spikes resembling tufts of cotton. 
The cottony substance has been used for stuffing pillows, 
making candle-wicks, etc. Also cotton-msh, cotton-gfdijf. 
Cottonian (ko-to'ni-an), a. Pertaining to or 
founded by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571- 
1631). Cottonian library, a famous library in Eng- 
land, founded by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton early in the 
seventeenth century, Increased by his son and grandson, 
and then handed over to trustees for the benefit of the 
nation. It Is now in the British Museum. 
cottonize (kot'n-iz), v. t. ; pret. and pp. cotton- 
ized, ppr. cottoniring. [< cotton 1 + -ire.] To 
reduce to the condition of cotton, or cause to 
resemble cotton, as flax, hemp, etc. 
cottonizing (kot'n-i-zing), 11. [Verbal n. of cot- 
toni:e, t'.] A process applied to many fibers, 
as flax, hemp, etc., reducing them to a snort sta- 
ple which can be worked on cotton-machinery, 
cotton-lord (kot'n-16rd), . A rich cotton-man- 
ufacturer ; a magnate of the cotton industry, 
cotton-machine (kot'n-ma-sheu'), n. A ma- 
chine for carding or spinning cotton, 
cotton-manufactory, cotton-mill (kot'n-man- 
u-fak'to-ri, -mil). H. A building provided 
with machinery for carding, roving, spinning, 
and weaving cotton, by the force of water or 
steam. 
cottonmouth (kot'n-mouth), . A venomous 
serpent of the southern United States, a spe- 
cies of moccasin or Trigonocejihalus : so called 
from a white streak along the lips, 
cottonocracy (kot-n-ok ra-si), n. [< cotton 1 
+ -o-cracy, as in aristocracy, democracy, etc.] 
Those planters, merchants, and manufacturers, 
collectively, who control the cotton trade; espe- 
cially, in U. S. hist., before the civil war, the 
cotton-planting interest in the slave States. 
[Cant.] 
cotton-opener (kpt'n-6'pn-er), n. A machine 
for picking, shaking, and blowing baled cotton, 
and forming it into a fleecy lap. 
COttonoust (kot'n-us), a. [< cotton^ + -on*.] 
Same as cottony. 
There is a Salix near Harking In Surrey, In which the 
.lulus bears a thick MttONMMIIintaBM. 
, Sylva, ix. i 8. 
Branch of Cotton-plant (GofsyftHm ktr6act*m). 
a. opened boll or capsule. 
cotton of commerce are: Q. Barbnttentf , known as sea- 
Island cotton, with a fine, soft, silky staple nearly two 
inches long; G. herbaceum, yielding the upland or short- 
staple e. .ttou of the United states ; and (/. arborevm. Many 
varietlet of these species are known. The kidney, Peru- 
vian, Brazil, and Bahia cottons of commerce are all pro- 
duced by varieties of (r. Barbatlente. Nankin rot ton Is a 
naturally colored variety. Cotton-seed, after the removal 
of the fiber, yields 11 j.i in pressure a large amount of yellow 
oil, with a bland, nut-like taste, closely resembling olire- 
oil, as a substitute or adulterant for which it is largely 
used. The residue after the extraction of the oil, called 
rotton-caJce, is valuable as food for cattle and as a manure. 
The bark of the root is used in medicine, acting upon the 
uterine system in the same manner as ergot. Also called 
cotton-thrtin. 
cotton-planter (kot'n-plan'ter), n. 1. One 
who plants or raises cotton. 2. A machine for 
planting cotton. 
cotton-powder (kot'n-pou'der), n. An explo- 
sive prepared from guncotton, of greater den- 
sity than the latter, and safer for dry storage. 
cotton-press (kot'n-pres), . A press used for 
compressing cotton into bales. The forms are 
numerous, embracing nearly all the devices for 
obtaining great pressure. 
COtton-rat (kot'n-rat), n. A common indige- 
nous rodent quadruped, tiigmoiton Iii#i>idii8, of 
the family Murida; and subfamily Marina', found 
in the cotton-fields and other lowlands of the 
southern United States. It superficially resem- 
bles the common Norway rat, but is only about 
two thirds as large. See Sigmodon. 
cotton-rush (kot n-rush), n. Same as cotton- 
gratis. 
cotton-scraper (kot'n-skra'per), n. A form of 
cultivator which scrapes the earth around cot- 
ton-plants or away from them, as may be re- 
quired. It is sometimes attached to the stock 
of the cotton-plow. 
cotton-sedge (kot'n-sej), . Same as cotton- 
grtut, 
cotton-seed (kot'n-sed), n. The seed of the 
cotton-plant. cotton-seed cleaner, (a) A machine 
which pulls the filler from cotton-seed, (o) A machine 
which compresses the fiber upon the seed, so that It can 
be sown by an ordinary machine. Cotton-seed mill, a 
mill for grinding cotton-seed. Cotton-seed oil, oil ex- 
pressed from the seed of the cotton-plant. See cotton- 
lilnnl. 
cotton-shrub (kot'n-shrub), n. Same as cotton- 
cotton-picker (kot'n-pik'er), . 1. A machine 
for picking cotton from the bolls of the plant. 
2. A machine used to open cotton further 
and clean it from dirt and other extraneous 
matter, after it comes from the cotton-opener. 
It etfects this by subjecting the cotton to the action of 
rapidly revolving Iteaters and toothed cylinders, and to a 
blast. The cotton as It passes out is wound into a lap. Also 
cotton-ct'-aner. 
Cotton-plant (kot'n -plant), n. The popular 
name of several species of Unsxypium, natural 
order .\falrncnr, from which the well-known tex- 
tile substance cotton is obtained. The genus Is in- 
diueiious tolKith hcini-phcrcs. and the plants are now cul- 
tivated all oxer the world within the limits of 36' north 
cotton-stainer (kot'n-sta / ner), n. A familiar 
heteropterous insect or bug of the family Pyr- 
rhocorida, Dysdercus svturellus : so called from 
its staining cotton an indelible reddish or yel- 
lowish color. 
cotton-sweep (kot'n-swep), it. A small plow 
used in cultivating cotton-plants. 
cottontail (kot'n-tal). n. The popular name, 
especially in the South, for the common rabbit 
of the United States, Lepussylraticus: so named 
from the conspicuous fluffy white fur on the un- 
der side of the tail. Also called molly cotton t<t il. 
See cut on following page. 
cotton-thistle (kot'n-this'l), . The popular 
name of Onoyordon Acanthium, a stout hoary 
thistle found in the south of England, and natu- 
ralized in New England : so called from its cot- 
tony white stem and leaves. 
cotton-tree (kot'n-tre), n. I. The Bombajc 
MiilnliiiririiiH. native in India. The silky hairs 
surrounding the seeds are used for stuffing cush- 
ions, etc. 2. The cottonwood of America. 
