noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkeɪpɒk/
Received-Pronunciation:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈkeɪˌpɑk/
Singapore:/ˈkɑːpəʊk/
Singapore:[ˈkɑːpəʊʔ]
rhymes with (General American) -eɪpɑk
CMU ARPABET:K EY1 P AA0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mumian
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: kapok tree, mapou, mumian
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree, or red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: kapok tree
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
massive tropical tree with deep ridges on its massive trunk and bearing large pods of seeds covered with silky floss; source of the silky kapok fiber
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ceiba tree, silk-cotton tree, white silk-cotton tree, Bombay ceiba, God tree, Ceiba pentandra
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: angiospermous tree, flowering tree
5
noun
Meaning 5
a plant fiber from the kapok tree; used for stuffing and insulation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: silk cotton, vegetable silk
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plant fiber, plant fibre
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay kapuk (“silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree; Ceiba pentandra”).
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
كَابُوك
(kābūk)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Bulgarian:
капок
(kapok)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Catalan:
capoc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Cebuano:
duldol
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Cebuano:
durol
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Cebuano:
kapok
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese Cantonese:
紅棉 /红棉
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese:
加薄棉
(ka-po̍k-mî, ka-po̍h-mî, ka-poah-mî, ka-poh-mî)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese:
胭脂花
(ian-chi-hoe)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese:
扳枝花
(pan-chi-hoe, pan-chi-hoa, pian-chi-hoe)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese Mandarin:
木棉
(mùmián)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Chinese Mandarin:
紅棉 /红棉
(hóngmián)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Dutch:
kapok
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Finnish:
kapokki
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
German:
Kapok
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Indonesian:
kapuk
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Indonesian:
randu
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Irish:
capac
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Irish:
capóc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Italian:
capoc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Italian:
kapoc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Japanese:
パンヤ
(pan'ya)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Kyrgyz:
капок
(kapok)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Malay:
kapuk
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Malay:
kekabu
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Polish:
kapok
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Portuguese:
paina
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Romanian:
capoc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Russian:
капо́к
(kapók)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Sanskrit:
कूटशाल्मलि
(kūṭaśālmali)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Spanish:
capoc
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Tagalog:
buboy
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
Thai:
นุ่น
(nûn)
— silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra)
