Cottonseed
/ˈkɑːtənˌsiːd/noun
The seed of the cotton plant, especially when used for planting or for oil and animal feed.
Did you know?The word is just a straightforward compound of cotton + seed, but the cotton part ultimately comes from Arabic through French, traveling with one of the world’s most economically powerful crops.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sked-
“To split, shed, or separate”
Late Latin
Latin
cattōn- (via Arabic qutn)
“Cotton, the soft fiber of the cotton plant”
Old French
OFr
coton
“Cotton”
Middle English
ME
cotoun
“Cotton”
Modern English
English
cottonseed
“The seed of the cotton plant”