kapok
kapok Lexical Profile
kapok Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A fine, fibrous, water-resistant substance that surrounds the seeds inside the pods of the silk-cotton tree, widely used as stuffing for pillows, mattresses, upholstery, and life jackets.
"Before synthetic foams became widespread, maritime life vests were traditionally stuffed with buoyant kapok."
A massive tropical deciduous tree (Ceiba pentandra) of the mallow family Malvaceae, native to the Americas and West Africa and cultivated across Southeast Asia, characterized by a buttressed trunk and large woody seed pods filled with silky fibers.
"The towering kapok rose high above the surrounding rainforest canopy, its huge buttress roots anchoring it in the shallow soil."
The large, pendulous, leathery fruit capsule or pod of the Ceiba pentandra tree, whose young, tender pods and oil-rich seeds are cooked and eaten in parts of Southeast Asia and West Africa.
"In some traditional Javanese and West African dishes, the young green kapok is harvested before the fibers mature and cooked as a vegetable or roasted for its seeds."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-18th century via Dutch from the Malay word 'kapuk', designating the silk-cotton tree and its buoyant seed fiber.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.