A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.
The cotton plant. See Cotten plant, below.
Cloth made of cotton.
To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.] It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty nap. Family of Love.
To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.] New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I would Lyly.
To unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed by with. [Colloq.] A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off, in which case it will not be easy to cotton with another. Swift. Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in with his beggarly companion Sir W. Scott.
To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used with to. [Slang]
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