Wiktionary

kapok

English

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WOTD – 29 June 2021

Etymology

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Kapok (sense 1), a silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
 
The kapok (sense 2) or silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
 
 
The Malabar silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) is also known as the kapok (sense 3) as its fruit produce a fibre like that of the silk-cotton tree.

Borrowed from Malay kapuk (“silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree; Ceiba pentandra”).[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kapok (countable and uncountable, plural kapoks)

  1. A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.
    Synonym: mumian
    • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 492:
      The moon came out of hiding and for a moment Jerry forgot his anxiety as a little grey-clad figure, small and sturdy [...], in a kapok coat and bulging proletarian cap, lowered himself over the side and leapt for the waiting arms of the sampan's crew.
    • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber & Faber, published 2003, page 39:
      You can stuff them full of kapok to make a decent cushion and there is nothing better to carry frogs in.
    • 2014 [1993], Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador, page 15:
      A still summer night a world away in a house that smells of cactus and dust and musty kapok.
  2. A silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
    Synonyms: kapok tree, (Haiti) mapou, mumian
  3. A cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree, or red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba).
    Synonym: kapok tree

Alternative forms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Compare “kapok, n.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2018; “kapok, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Cebuano

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Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: ka‧pok

Noun

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kapok

  1. (rare) the kapok tree or silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
  2. (rare) the fiber obtained from this tree

French

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Noun

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kapok m (plural kapoks)

  1. kapok

Further reading

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Hungarian

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Etymology

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kap +‎ -ok

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈkɒpok]
  • Hyphenation: ka‧pok

Verb

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kapok

  1. first-person singular indicative present indefinite of kap

Derived terms

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Compound words

Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl
 
kapok sense 1
 
kapok sense 2

Etymology

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Internationalism; compare English kapok, French kapok, German Kapok, ultimately from Malay kapuk.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kapok m inan (related adjective kapokowy)

  2. kapok (silky fiber obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.)
  4. life jacket (article of protective clothing that is designed to keep the wearer's head floating above the surface of the water)
    Synonyms: kamizelka ratunkowa, pas ratunkowy

Declension

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Declension of kapok
singular plural
nominative kapok kapoki
genitive kapoka kapoków
dative kapokowi kapokom
accusative kapok kapoki
instrumental kapokiem kapokami
locative kapoku kapokach
vocative kapoku kapoki

Further reading

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  • kapok in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • kapok in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • kapok in PWN's encyclopedia

Tagalog

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Malay kapuk.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kapok (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜉᜓᜃ᜔)

  1. kapok (Ceiba pentandra)
    Synonyms: bulak, bulak-kahoy, bulak-sina, buboy
  2. the silky fibre obtained from the seed pods of this tree
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