red silk-cotton tree

9.9

A tropical tree with large flowers that makes cotton-like seed fibers used for stuffing

noun

Indian

: árbol de algodón de seda rojo

The red silk-cotton tree is known for its large, showy flowers and its cottony seed fibers.

Examples

Farmers in the region harvest the fibers of the red silk-cotton tree for use in stuffing pillows.
Unlike kapok, the fibers from the red silk-cotton tree are considered of lesser quality for insulation.
The red silk-cotton tree is known for its beautiful flowers.
Many red silk-cotton trees grow in the tropical forests of India.
Farmers in the region harvest the fibers of the red silk-cotton tree for use in stuffing pillows.
The red silk-cotton tree is known for its large, showy flowers and its cottony seed fibers.
Unlike kapok, the fibers from the red silk-cotton tree are considered of lesser quality for insulation.

Synonyms

Bombax ceiba

vsred silk-cotton tree

Specialized

9.9

An Asian tree from India that makes silk cotton fibers used to stuff pillows and mattresses

is the everyday common name for that same East Indian tree

simal

vsred silk-cotton tree

Archaic

9.9

A tall East Indian tree whose soft fibers fill mattresses and pillows

is the same species but named with a color marker in common use

Bombax malabarica

vsred silk-cotton tree

Specialized

9.9

A tree from India whose silk-like fibers are used for stuffing pillows and mattresses

is the same East Indian tree but named differently in some sources

silk-cotton tree

vsred silk-cotton tree

8.7

A very large tropical tree whose trunk has deep grooves and seed pods of soft, fluffy material used for stuffing

is a specific East Indian variety whose fibers are lower quality than kapok

Bombay ceiba

vsred silk-cotton tree

9.9

A large tropical tree with a rough trunk and seed pods full of soft fibers used for pillows

is a nearer form whose seed fibers are seen as inferior to kapok

Surface Forms

red silk-cotton tree singular

red silk-cotton trees plural

Morphology

red + silk-cotton + tree

The phrase is compositional: 'red' describes color, 'silk-cotton' denotes a type of fiber (literally silk-like cotton) or the product associated with the plant, and 'tree' names the plant — together yielding a tree that produces silk-like cotton and is red in some respect. Even if 'silk-cotton' is less common, its internal parts ('silk' + 'cotton') make the referent predictable, and botanical naming conventions are cross-linguistically similar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Red silk-cotton tree is named for its bright red flowers and the soft, cotton-like seed fibers it produces. The words silk and cotton describe those silky, fluffy seeds that people used as 'stuffing', so the name points to the tree that gives these fibers today.