cotton-plant

Definition

Noun: A cotton-plant is any of several plants of the genus Gossypium, cultivated for the soft, white fibrous substance (cotton) that surrounds their seeds and is used to make textiles.

Usage Examples

• (A specific plant cultivated for its cotton.)
• (The plant species in its natural habitat.)
• (The reproductive structure of the plant.)

Advanced Usage

• "cotton-plant cultivation": the agricultural practice of growing cotton-plant for commercial purposes.
  • Cotton-plant cultivation has a long history in the southern United States. (The farming of this specific plant.)
• "cotton-plant disease": a condition that affects the health of the cotton-plant, such as boll rot or wilt.
  • The cotton-plant disease reduced the yield significantly this season. (A problem specific to this plant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cotton (n): the soft, white fiber obtained from the cotton-plant.
  • The cotton is spun into thread for weaving. (The harvested material.)
• Cottonseed (n): the seed of the cotton-plant, used to produce oil and animal feed.
  • Cottonseed is a byproduct of cotton production. (The seed from the plant.)
• Cottonfield (n): a field where cotton-plants are grown.
  • The cottonfield stretched for miles across the plain. (The cultivated area.)

Synonyms

• Gossypium (n): the scientific genus name for the cotton-plant.
• Cotton bush (n): a colloquial term for the cotton-plant, especially in informal contexts.

Related Idioms

• "To wrap something in cotton-plant": (rare) to protect something excessively, similar to "wrap in cotton wool."
  • She treated the fragile vase as if it were a cotton-plant boll, handling it with extreme care. (To treat something as delicate.)

Notes

• The hyphenated form cotton-plant emphasizes the plant itself, distinguishing it from the fiber cotton. In modern usage, the term cotton plant (without hyphen) is more common, but both refer to the same botanical entity.