Definition

1. Noun:
   • A plant fiber: A soft, light, fluffy, and buoyant fiber obtained from the seed pods of the kapok tree, used historically for stuffing mattresses, life preservers, and insulation due to its water-resistant and insulating properties.
   • A tropical tree: A large, fast-growing tropical tree (Ceiba pentandra) of the mallow family, native to the Americas and Africa, which produces large seed pods filled with this silky fiber.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Fiber):
  • The old life jacket was filled with kapok, a natural buoyant material.
  • She prefers pillows stuffed with kapok rather than synthetic fibers.
• Noun (Tree):
  • The towering kapok tree provided shade for the entire village square.
  • Kapoks are often considered sacred trees in some tropical cultures.

Advanced Usage

• "Kapok fiber": The specific term for the raw material.
  • Kapok fiber is difficult to spin into yarn but excellent for stuffing.
• "Kapok tree" / "Silk-cotton tree": Common names for the tree itself.
  • The kapok tree, also known as the silk-cotton tree, can grow over 200 feet tall.

Variants and Related Words

• Ceiba: The genus name for the kapok tree.
• Silk-cotton: Another common name for the fiber or the tree.
• Seed floss: A descriptive term for the fiber.

Synonyms

• Plant fiber: A general category that includes kapok.
• Tree cotton: An informal synonym.
• Java cotton: Another regional name for kapok fiber.

Related Phrases

• Kapok stuffing: Refers to the material used as filling.
  • The artisan used kapok stuffing for the handmade doll.
• Kapok pod: Refers to the fruit of the tree containing the fiber.
  • Children collected the fallen kapok pods from the ground.

Related Idioms

(There are no common idioms specifically centered on the word "kapok.")

Noun

1. massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber
2. a plant fiber from the kapok tree; used for stuffing and insulation