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A silky fiber obtained from the pods of the kapok tree, used for insulation and as padding in pillows, mattresses, and life preservers.
[Malaykapuk, possibly ofProto-Malayo-Polynesian origin (compareOld Javanesekapuk)and originally referring to the kapoklike fibers found around the seeds of trees of the genus Bombax native to tropical Asia (later applied to the fibers of the related kapok tree Ceiba pentrandra in Malayo-Polynesian languages when the kapok tree was introduced from the Americas).]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.