The white, fluffy, fibrous covering of the seeds of a plant of the genus Gossypium (family Malvaceae); used extensively in surgical dressings. [Ar. qútun]
- absorbent c. c. from which all fatty matter has been extracted, so that it readily takes up fluids.
- purified c. absorbent c. in which the hairs of the seed of varieties of Gossypium and other allied species are freed from adhering impurities, deprived of fatty matter, bleached, and sterilized; used for tampons, etc.
- styptic c. absorbent c. wet with a dilute solution of ferric chloride, and then dried; applied locally as a hemostatic.
* * *
cot·ton 'kät-ən n, often attrib
1) a soft usu. white fibrous substance composed of the hairs surrounding the seeds of various erect freely branching tropical plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family and used extensively in making threads, yarns, and fabrics (as in surgical dressings)
2) a plant producing cotton esp one grown for its cotton
* * *
cot·ton (kotґən) [Ar. al-qoton or al-qutn] 1. a plant of the genus Gossypium. 2. a textile material derived from the hair of the seeds of one or more of the cultivated varieties of Gossypium.Medical dictionary. 2011.