silk-cotton tree

silk-cotton tree [silk-kot-n] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. any of several spiny trees belonging to the genus Ceiba, of the bombax family, having palmately compound leaves and seeds surrounded by silk cotton, especially C. pentandra, from which kapok is obtained.

Origin of silk-cotton tree First recorded in 1705–15 Examples from the Web for silk-cotton tree Historical Examples of silk-cotton tree

Here the vast ceiba, or silk-cotton-tree, is abundant, from which canoes are frequently hollowed out.

The Western World

W.H.G. Kingston

They were the giants of the West Indian forest—the silk-cotton-tree (Eriodendron anfractuosum).

The Maroon

Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for silk-cotton tree silk-cotton tree noun

1. any of several tropical bombacaceous trees of the genus Ceiba, esp Ceiba pentandra, having seeds covered with silky hairs from which kapok is obtainedAlso called: kapok tree