Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: "Cotton"

Episode Date: April 6, 2026
Host: Peter Sokolowski

Episode Overview

This episode explores the word “cotton” as a verb, focusing on its definitions, historical development, and etymological journey. Peter Sokolowski walks listeners through how "cotton" evolved from fabric to figurative uses in English, unpacking both its literal and idiomatic meanings in contemporary language.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Main Definitions

• “Cotton” as a verb:
  • Used with "on" or "onto": Means to begin to understand something; to catch on.
    • Example: “He quickly cottoned on to the idea.”
  • Used with “to” alone: Means to begin to like someone or something.
    • Example: “She really cottoned to her new colleagues.”

2. Usage in Literature

• Quotation:
  • “An insatiable reader, he enjoyed a wide range of literary acquaintances, some of whom Rudyard Kipling, Owen Wister, and Joel Chandler Harris became personal friends and others including Mark Twain. A man wholly without cultivation, he never quite cottoned to.”
    • From “Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace and Revolution” by David S. Brown
    • [01:01]

3. Etymology and Historical Development

• Origin:
  • The noun “cotton” comes from an Arabic word and entered English in the 14th century.
    • [01:18]
• Transition from Noun to Verb:
  • Soon after its introduction, “cotton” became culturally prominent, prompting English speakers to create a verb from the noun—a common trait in English.
    • [01:26]
  • By the late 15th century, "cotton" as a verb meant “to form a fuzzy or downy surface on cloth,” but this sense is now essentially obsolete.
    • [01:34]
• Meaning Evolution:
  • 16th century: “to go on prosperously; to develop well; to succeed.”
    • The metaphor: as cotton cloth “develops well” (has a nice, fuzzy nap), so can abstract situations or relationships.
    • [01:45]
  • 17th century: Shift toward “taking a liking to someone or something.”
    • [01:56]
  • Early 20th century: Further shift—someone who “cottoned to” or “cottoned onto” something had come to understand it.
    • [02:09]

4. Modern Usage

• "Cotton" as a verb remains in use, especially in the U.S., for “liking” or “understanding” something or someone.
  • [02:23]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Peter Sokolowski:
  • “The noun cotton, from an Arabic word, first appeared in English in the 14th century. The substance and the word that named it were soon both culturally prominent. So English did a very English thing to do. It created a verb from the noun.” [01:18–01:27]
  • “By the early 17th century the verb had shifted again and cottoning was, as it still often is, about taking a liking to someone or something. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that someone who cottoned to or onto something had come to understand it.” [01:56–02:10]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:36] — Introduction of “cotton” as verb
• [01:01] — Example from Theodore Roosevelt biography
• [01:18] — Etymology: “cotton” from Arabic
• [01:26] — Transition from noun to verb
• [01:34] — First verb sense: “to form a fuzzy surface”
• [01:45] — 16th-century sense: “to prosper, develop well”
• [01:56] — 17th-century sense: “to like someone/something”
• [02:09] — 20th-century sense: “to understand something”

Episode Tone

Peter Sokolowski’s delivery is informative yet approachable, blending scholarly etymology with accessible examples and a gentle wit, making the word “cotton” memorable far beyond its fabric origins.

For more word history and trending terms, visit merriam-webster.com.