gossypium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun herbs and shrubs and small trees: cotton
    genus Gossypium.

WordNet

Gos*syp"i*um noun
Etymology
NL., fr. L. gossypion, gossipion.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of plants which yield the cotton of the arts. The species are much confused. G. herbaceum is the name given to the common cotton plant, while the long-stapled sea-island cotton is produced by G. Barbadense, a shrubby variety. There are several other kinds besides these.

Webster 1913