canˈdyfloss or (N American) cotton candy noun

1. A fluffy ball of spun sugar, coloured and flavoured, sold on the end of a stick
2. Something insubstantial or ephemeral (also adjective)

canˈdyman noun (N American slang)

A drug pusher

candy store noun (N American)

A sweet shop or confectioners’

candy stripe noun

A textile fabric pattern, consisting of narrow coloured stripes on a white background at intervals equal or nearly equal to the width of the stripe

canˈdy-striped adjective

Patterned in this way

canˈdy-striper noun (N Am inf)

A female volunteer hospital nurse (from the red and white striped uniform)

cotton /kotˈn/

noun

1. A soft substance like fine wool, the long hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant
2. The plant itself, individually or collectively
3. Yarn or cloth made of cotton
4. Cotton wool (N American)

adjective

Made of cotton

intransitive verb

To agree, to become friendly or attached

cottonadeˈ noun

An inferior cotton cloth

cottonocˈracy noun

The cotton planting or cotton manufacturing interests

cottˈony adjective

1. Like cotton
2. Soft
3. Downy

cotton belt noun

(sometimes with caps) the region in SE USA in which much cotton is produced

cotton boll noun

The pod of the cotton plant

cotton bud noun

A small stick with a piece of cotton wool on the end(s), used for cleaning small body orifices, etc

cotton bush noun (Aust)

Any of various downy-leaved shrubs used to feed cattle, etc

cotton cake noun

Cakes or pellets of compressed cottonseed, used as an animal feed

cotton candy noun (N American)

Candyfloss

cotton gin noun

A machine for separating the seeds from the fibre of cotton

cotton grass noun

A genus (Eriophorum) of sedges with long, silky or cottony hairs about the ripened ovary

cotton mill noun

A factory where cotton is spun or woven

cottˈonmouth noun

The venomous water mocassin snake (from the white inside of its mouth)

cottˈon-picking adjective (US sl; sometimes facetious)

Used as a relatively mild intensifier

cotton plant noun

One of various species of Gossypium (family Malvaceae), yielding cotton

cotton press noun

A press for compressing cotton into bales

cotton sedge noun (Can)

Cotton grass

cottˈonseed noun

The seed of the cotton plant, yielding a valuable oil

cotton spinner noun

A person who spins cotton, or employs those who do

cotton stainer noun

Any of a genus (Dysdercus) of small red hemipterous insects that puncture cotton bolls and stain the fibres

cottˈontail noun

Any of several species of rabbits of the genus Sylvilagus, the ordinary rabbit of the USA

cotton thistle noun

A strong thistle (Onopordum acanthium) covered with a cottony down

cotton tree noun

1. The American cottonwood
2. An Indian tree Bombax malabaricum
3. An Australian hibiscus

cotton waste noun

Refuse from cotton mills, used for cleaning machinery, etc

cottˈonweed noun

Cudweed, a cottony seaside composite plant (Diotis maritima)

cottˈonwood noun

Any one of several American species of poplar

cotton wool noun

1. Cotton in its raw or woolly state
2. Loose cotton pressed in a sheet as an absorbent or protective agent, for stuffing, etc
3. A protected, cushioned or cosseted state
4. Padding, waffle

cottˈon-worm noun

The caterpillar of an owlet moth (Aletia xylina), destructive to American cotton crops

cottony-cushion scale noun

A small scale insect (Icerya purchasi), a serious pest of citrus trees

cotton on (slang)

(sometimes with to) to catch on, understand

cotton on to (slang)

To take to