Cotton thistle :  n : biennial Eurasian white hairy thistle having pale purple flowers; naturalized in North America [syn: woolly thistle, Scotch thistle, Onopordum acanthium, Onopordon acanthium]

Thistle \This"tle\, n. [OE. thistil, AS. [thorn]istel; akin to D. & G. distel, OHG. distila, distil, Icel. [thorn]istill, Sw. tistel, Dan. tidsel; of uncertain origin.] (Bot.) Any one of several prickly composite plants, especially those of the genera Cnicus, Craduus, and Onopordon. The name is often also applied to other prickly plants. Blessed thistle, Carduus benedictus, so named because it was formerly considered an antidote to the bite of venomous creatures. Bull thistle, Cnicus lanceolatus, the common large thistle of neglected pastures. Canada thistle, Cnicus arvensis, a native of Europe, but introduced into the United States from Canada. Cotton thistle, Onopordon Acanthium. Fuller's thistle, the teasel. Globe thistle, Melon thistle, etc. See under Globe, Melon, etc. Pine thistle, Atractylis gummifera, a native of the Mediterranean region. A vicid gum resin flows from the involucre. Scotch thistle, either the cotton thistle, or the musk thistle, or the spear thistle; -- all used national emblems of Scotland. Sow thistle, Sonchus oleraceus. Spear thistle. Same as Bull thistle. Star thistle, a species of Centaurea. See Centaurea. Torch thistle, a candelabra-shaped plant of the genus Cereus. See Cereus. Yellow thistle, Cincus horridulus. Thistle bird (Zo["o]l.), the American goldfinch, or yellow-bird ({Spinus tristis); -- so called on account of its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under Goldfinch. Thistle butterfly (Zo["o]l.), a handsomely colored American butterfly ({Vanessa cardui) whose larva feeds upon thistles; -- called also painted lady. Thistle cock (Zo["o]l.), the corn bunting ({Emberiza militaria). [Prov. Eng.] Thistle crown, a gold coin of England of the reign of James I., worth four shillings. Thistle finch (Zo["o]l.), the goldfinch; -- so called from its fondness for thistle seeds. [Prov. Eng.] Thistle funnel, a funnel having a bulging body and flaring mouth.

Cotton \Cot"ton\ (k[o^]t"t'n), n. [F. coton, Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun, alqutun, cotton wool. Cf. Acton, Hacqueton.] 1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half. 2. The cotton plant. See Cotten plant, below. 3. Cloth made of cotton. Note: Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cotton bagging; cotton cloth; cotton goods; cotton industry; cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick. Cotton cambric. See Cambric, n., 2. Cotton flannel, the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it is called swan's-down cotton, or Canton flannel. Cotton gin, a machine to separate the seeds from cotton, invented by Eli Whitney. Cotton+grass+(Bot.),+a+genus+of+plants+({Eriphorum">Cotton grass (Bot.), a genus of plants ({Eriphorum) of the Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton. Cotton mouse (Zool.), a field mouse ({Hesperomys gossypinus), injurious to cotton crops. Cotton plant (Bot.), a plant of the genus Gossypium, of several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally Asiatic, is G. herbaceum. Cotton press, a building and machinery in which cotton bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a press for baling cotton. Cotton+rose+(Bot.),+a+genus+of+composite+herbs+({Filago">Cotton rose (Bot.), a genus of composite herbs ({Filago), covered with a white substance resembling cotton. Cotton scale (Zo["o]l.), a species of bark louse ({Pulvinaria innumerabilis), which does great damage to the cotton plant. Cotton shrub. Same as Cotton plant. Cotton stainer (Zo["o]l.), a species of hemipterous insect ({Dysdercus suturellus), which seriously damages growing cotton by staining it; -- called also redbug. Cotton thistle (Bot.), the Scotch thistle. See under Thistle. Cotton velvet, velvet in which the warp and woof are both of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made wholly of cotton. Cotton waste, the refuse of cotton mills. Cotton wool, cotton in its raw or woolly state. Cotton worm (Zool.), a lepidopterous insect ({Aletia argillacea), which in the larval state does great damage to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on corn, etc., and hence is often called corn worm, and Southern army worm.