English
kapok
Kapok comes from Malay kapuk ‘silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree’.
- Malaymodernkapuk‘silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree’
- Englishearliest quotation 1977kapok
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Malaymodernkapuk‘silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree’
- Englishearliest quotation 1977kapok
Earliest quotation: 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy: “The moon came out of hiding and for a…”
Every English word from Malay kapuk
Today it means
noun A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Malay kapuk / kapok