white silk-cotton tree

9.3

A very large tropical tree with a rough trunk and pods of soft fibers around seeds used for stuffing

noun
/waɪt sɪlk ˈkɒtən tri/

: ceiba

Farmers harvest the silky fibers from the white silk-cotton tree to use as stuffing for mattresses and pillows.

Examples

During their hike in Southeast Asia, they saw a massive white silk-cotton tree with its distinctive ridged bark.
The white silk-cotton tree is native to tropical regions.
The white silk-cotton tree stood majestically at the edge of the rainforest, its trunk towering above the other plants.
Look at that white silk-cotton tree!
Farmers harvest the silky fibers from the white silk-cotton tree to use as stuffing for mattresses and pillows.
The white silk-cotton tree stood majestically at the edge of the rainforest, its trunk towering above the other plants.
During their hike in Southeast Asia, they saw a massive white silk-cotton tree with its distinctive ridged bark.

Synonyms

kapok

vswhite silk-cotton tree

1 9.9

A large tropical tree that makes seed pods with silky fibers used for stuffing

focuses on identity and physical features rather than fiber use

Ceiba pentandra

vswhite silk-cotton tree

Specialized

9.9

A large tropical tree that makes pods with seeds covered in soft floss used to stuff pillows

highlights the tree's massive trunk and deeply ridged physical form

silk-cotton tree

vswhite 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 described especially as the source of fibers used for stuffing

God tree

vswhite silk-cotton tree

Indian

9.9

A large tropical tree with a thick bumpy trunk that gives silky kapok fiber

focuses on the tree's features rather than on fiber use or product

ceiba tree

vswhite silk-cotton tree

8.6

A very large tropical tree with a thick trunk and seed pods of silky fibers

puts more weight on the tree's trunk and pod features instead

Bombay ceiba

vswhite silk-cotton tree

9.9

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

is the general botanical description focusing on trunk and shape

Surface Forms

white silk-cotton tree singular

white silk-cotton trees plural

Morphology

white + silk-cotton + tree

The phrase is compositionally built: 'white' specifies color, 'silk-cotton' denotes the material/type (silk-like cotton fibers) and 'tree' names the plant. Even if 'silk-cotton' is a less common label, a B1 learner who knows 'silk' and 'cotton' can infer it refers to a tree that produces white, silk-like cotton (kapok), so the overall meaning is derivable from its parts.

Etymology

White silk-cotton tree is named for the soft, white fibers inside its seed pods that look like both silk and cotton. People used those fibers as stuffing for pillows and mattresses, so the name points to the tree's cotton-like material.