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Glite Dictionary
cottonweed

cottonweed

9.7
A North American plant with soft, woolly, white flowers or leaves
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒtənˌwiːd/
  • US
translation icon : algodoncillo
  • Gardeners enjoy growing cottonweed for its decorative, woolly white flower spikes.

Examples

  • The sandy field was covered in cottonweed gently swaying in the summer breeze.

  • Several species of cottonweed thrive in the rocky slopes of the American Southwest.

  • The cottonweed bloomed beautifully in the garden.

  • Many cottonweeds can be found in the wetlands.

  • Gardeners enjoy growing cottonweed for its decorative, woolly white flower spikes.

  • Several species of cottonweed thrive in the rocky slopes of the American Southwest.

  • The sandy field was covered in cottonweed gently swaying in the summer breeze.

Synonyms

Froelichia
vscottonweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small herb plants from the Americas with fluffy white flower spikes

is narrower, naming a North American plant species with soft woolly flowers

Surface Forms

cottonweed singular
cottonweeds plural

Morphology

cottonweed = cotton + weed (transparent) = cotton + weed

The compound denotes a plant with cotton-like (soft, woolly) parts, a meaning directly inferable from 'cotton' + 'weed'.

Etymology

Cottonweed combines cotton and weed, with cotton pointing to the plant's 'soft, woolly' look and weed meaning a common wild plant. So a cottonweed is simply a wild plant that has fluffy, 'cotton-like' white flowers or leaves.