red silk cotton
Definition
Noun 1. A plant fiber: A natural fiber obtained from the seed pods of the red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba or Bombax malabaricum), native to eastern India and other parts of tropical Asia. It is a lightweight, fluffy fiber similar to kapok but considered to be of lower quality for commercial use, particularly in stuffing and insulation.
Usage Notes
- red silk cotton is an uncountable noun. It refers to the fiber material as a bulk substance, not to individual strands.
- It is primarily a technical or botanical term used in contexts related to textiles, botany, or traditional materials.
- The term directly specifies the fiber's origin (the red silk-cotton tree) and its characteristic color/type, distinguishing it from other silky plant fibers like regular cotton or kapok.
Examples
- The cushions were traditionally stuffed with red silk cotton.
- Red silk cotton is less buoyant than kapok, making it unsuitable for life preservers.
- Botanists studied the properties of red silk cotton from the tree.
Advanced Usage
- The term can be used in historical or ethnographic descriptions of regional material culture.
- The ancient manuscript described using red silk cotton in ceremonial garments.
Variants and Related Words
- Silk-cotton (n): A general term for the fiber from trees of the or genus.
- Kapok (n): A similar, but superior, fiber from the kapok tree (), often used for comparison.
- Semul (n): A common local name for the red silk-cotton tree in India.
- Shalmali (n): Another Sanskrit-derived name for the tree and its fiber.
Synonyms
- Tree cotton (general)
- Bombax fiber (technical)
Different Meanings
- Red silk-cotton tree: This refers to the tree itself (), not the fiber. The fiber is called "red silk cotton."
- Silk cotton: Can refer to fibers from other related trees (e.g., kapok), not specifically the red variety.
Noun
-
a plant fiber from the red silk-cotton tree of eastern India; inferior to kapok
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