cot
cot Lexical Profile
cot Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A small bed with high barred sides designed for a baby or toddler to sleep in safely.
"After a long afternoon of playing, the exhausted toddler was finally placed into his cot for a nap."
North American A small, lightweight, and often collapsible bed, typically consisting of a canvas or fabric cover stretched over a folding frame, used as a temporary resting place.
"During the severe winter storm, volunteers set up hundreds of cots in the high school gymnasium to accommodate the stranded travelers."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North American English, a 'cot' typically refers to a portable, folding bed used for camping or emergencies, whereas in British English, it refers to an infant's bed with barred sides (known as a 'crib' in North America).
• Rhymes for cot
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The modern sense of a small bed comes from the Hindi word 'khāṭ' (bedstead or hammock), which entered English in the 17th century. An older, mostly archaic English noun 'cot', meaning a small shelter or cottage, derives from Old English 'cot'.