Bombax ceiba

9.9

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

noun

Specialized

: Bombax ceiba

Unlike kapok, the fiber from the Bombax ceiba is considered less resilient but still useful for insulation.

Examples

The fibers produced by the Bombax ceiba are commonly used for stuffing pillows and mattresses.
Many people admire the beauty of the Bombax ceiba flowers.
In rural India, the Bombax ceiba is valued for its medicinal and economic uses.
The Bombax ceiba tree is often found in tropical regions.
The fibers produced by the Bombax ceiba tree are often used to make cozy, eco-friendly pillows.
In certain areas, the Bombax ceiba tree is an important resource for traditional crafts and textiles.
People in rural communities utilize the fibers from the Bombax ceiba to create handmade baskets.

Synonyms

simal

vsBombax ceiba

Archaic

9.9

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

is the botanical or general term for the same tree

red silk-cotton tree

vsBombax ceiba

Indian

9.9

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

is the standard botanical term rather than a descriptive common name

Surface Forms

Bombax ceiba singular

Bombax ceibas plural

Morphology

Bombax + ceiba

Both constituents refer to trees (Bombax = large tropical trees; ceiba = a tree with bell-shaped flowers), so a learner who knows those words can infer that Bombax ceiba is a particular kind of tree. This follows the transparent, compositional pattern of botanical binomials (genus + species), making the overall meaning (a specific tree) directly derivable even if finer botanical details are unknown.

Etymology

Bombax ceiba is often called the 'silk-cotton' tree because its seed pods burst open and release soft, cotton-like fibers that were used to stuff pillows and mattresses. So the name points to a tree valued for its light, fluffy seed fibers used for stuffing and insulation.