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Definition 2024


kapok

kapok

English

Alternative forms

Noun

kapok (plural kapoks)

  1. A silky fibre obtained from the silk-cotton tree used for insulation and stuffing for pillows, mattresses, etc.
    • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, p. 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 2003, p. 39:
      You can stuff them full of kapok to make a decent cushion and there is nothing better to carry frogs in.
    • 1993, Tim Winton, Land's Edge, Picador 2014, p. 15:
      A still summer night a world away in a house that smells of cactus and dust and musty kapok.

Derived terms

Translations


Hungarian

Etymology

kap + -ok

Pronunciation

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

Verb

kapok

  1. first-person singular indicative present indefinite of kap