cotton

Everyday

1. Cotton is a soft white fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. tree →
2. Cotton is cloth or thread made from this fibre. tree →
3. Cotton wool (UK) or cotton balls (USA) are soft fluffy pads of cotton used for cleaning skin or cuts. tree →

In the lessons

In science, cotton is a natural material from a plant (unlike nylon or polyester, which are man-made); it is soft, absorbent and breathable, good for T-shirts and towels. In history and geography, cotton was grown in the southern USA, India and Egypt, and the cotton mills of Lancashire were part of the Industrial Revolution; enslaved people were forced to pick cotton in America. Phrases: «cotton T-shirt», «cotton wool», «cotton bud» (UK) / «Q-tip» (USA), «cotton candy» (USA) = «candyfloss» (UK) / «fairy floss» (Australia).

Examples

• My T-shirt is made of cotton. tree →
• Cotton soaks up water well. tree →
• Clean the cut with a piece of cotton wool. tree →
• Cotton grows on bushes in hot countries. tree →
• The fluffy cotton bolls are picked and spun into thread. tree →
• Cotton is a natural fibre, but nylon is man-made. tree →
• We ate pink cotton candy at the fair. tree →
• Don't push cotton buds into your ears. tree →
• I saw the flowered cotton curtains of the bed move, and the child peep forth. tree →

Note

Usually uncountable: «made of cotton», not «a cotton». Cotton candy (USA), candyfloss (UK), fairy floss (Australia) are the same sweet, made of sugar, not cotton. Doctors say not to put cotton buds inside the ear canal.

In Jewish tradition

Fine plant cloth, here a product made by weavers in Egypt. In the primary lessons: In science, cotton is a natural material from a plant (unlike nylon or polyester, which are man-made); it is soft, absorbent and breathable, good for T-shirts and towels. In history and geography, cotton was grown in the southern USA, India and Egypt, and the cotton mills of Lancashire were part of the Industrial Revolution; enslaved people were forced to pick cotton in America. Phrases: «cotton T-shirt», «cotton wool», «cotton bud» (UK) / «Q-tip» (USA), «cotton candy» (USA) = «candyfloss» (UK) / «fairy floss» (Australia).

Examples

• Moreover they that work in combed flax, and they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed. (Prophets ISA.19.9, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Usually uncountable: «made of cotton», not «a cotton». Cotton candy (USA), candyfloss (UK), fairy floss (Australia) are the same sweet, made of sugar, not cotton. Doctors say not to put cotton buds inside the ear canal.