cotton

cotton
\ \ [14] As with knowledge of the plant, its name cotton came to Europe from the Middle East. It originated in Arabic qutn, which passed via Spanish into the other languages of Europe.
\ \ English acquired it via Old French coton. The verbal idiom cotton (on) to ‘come to understand’ developed in the 20th century from an earlier ‘harmonize, agree’. This in turn has been traced back to a still earlier ‘prosper’, which seems to have originated in the 16th century with the notion of the successful raising of the nap on cotton cloth.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cotton — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Aimé Cotton (1869–1951), französischer Physiker Annie Cotton (* 1975), kanadische Sängerin und Schauspielerin Antony Cotton (* 1975), britischer Schauspieler Aylett R. Cotton (1826–1912), US amerikanischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cotton On — Group Type Privately owned Industry Fashion Founded Geelong, Australia Headquarters Geelong, Australia Key people Nigel Austin …   Wikipedia

  • COTTON (A. A.) — COTTON AIMÉ AUGUSTE (1869 1951) Né à Bourg en Bresse, élève à l’École normale supérieure de 1890 à 1893, Aimé Auguste Cotton y enseigna de 1900 à 1922, après avoir été professeur à la faculté des sciences de Toulouse de 1895 à 1900. De 1920 à… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • COTTON (J.) — COTTON JOHN (1584 1652) Le pasteur puritain qui allait devenir la plus grande figure de «la Plantation du Seigneur» en Nouvelle Angleterre est né en 1584. Le mouvement qui milite pour que l’Église d’Angleterre extirpe d’elle même les «reliques du …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • cotton — [kät′ n] n. [ME cotoun < OFr coton < (? via It cotone) Ar quṭun < ? Egypt] 1. the soft, white seed hairs filling the seedpods of various shrubby plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family, originally native to the tropics 2. a plant… …   English World dictionary

  • cotton to — ˈcotton to [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they cotton to he/she/it cottons to present participle cottoning to past tense cottoned to p …   Useful english dictionary

  • COTTON — COTTON, plant mentioned under the name karpas (derived from the Sanskrit karpasa) in the Book of Esther (1:6) in the description of the magnificent ornamentation of Ahasuerus palace. In the Mishnah cotton is called ẓemer gefen ( vine wool ) as… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cotton — Cotton, Robert Bruce * * * (as used in expressions) Cotton Belt Cotton Club Cotton, John Cotton, sir Robert Bruce King Cotton Mather, Cotton …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cotton — Cot ton, v. i. 1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty nap. Family of Love. [1913 Webster] 2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] New,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cotton — ● cotton nom masculin (de W. Cotton, nom propre) Métier rectiligne qui tricote simultanément plusieurs panneaux avec augmentations et diminutions. Cotton (Aimé) (1869 1951) physicien français, spécialiste d électromagnétisme …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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