What does "cot" mean?
A simple bed, especially one for portable or temporary purposes.
Cot
/kɒt/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A simple bed, especially one for portable or temporary purposes.
- Grammar: cot is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: crib, baby bed, bassinet, bed.
- Usage evidence: Will you show me how to set up a cot?
How to use "cot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cot" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crib" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A simple bed, especially one for portable or temporary purposes. Canada, Philippines, US
"There was a flickering of lanterns about the camp that night, and a rumor that brought men out of their cots to the tent doors, a paddling of the naked feet of doolie-bearers and the rush of a galloping horse."
- 2 A cottage or small homestead. archaic
"the sheltered cot, the cultivated farm"
- 3 A small, crudely-formed boat.
- 4 A cover or sheath; a fingerstall.
"a roller cot (the clothing of a drawing roller in a spinning frame)"
- 5 A man who does household work normally associated with women. obsolete
"You know, that being an old bachelor, and somewhat of an epicure, he is at home, what the vulgar call a cot; and has laid down his spontoon for the tasting spoon, converted his sword into a carving knife, and his sash into a jelly bag."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 vulva; vagina. dated
- 7 Initialism of chain of thought. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 8 a small bed that folds up for storage or transport wordnet
- 9 A bed for infants or small children, with high, often slatted, often moveable sides. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK
- 10 A pen, coop, or similar shelter for small domestic animals, such as sheep or pigeons.
- 11 baby bed with high sides made of slats wordnet
- 12 A wooden bed frame, slung by its corners from a beam, in which officers slept before the introduction of bunks. historical
- 13 a sheath worn to protect a finger wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Will you show me how to set up a cot?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cot"?
Common synonyms include: crib, baby bed, bassinet, bed, bed-davenport, beds.
How do you use "cot" in a sentence?
Will you show me how to set up a cot?
How do you pronounce "cot"?
Pronounced /kɒt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Hindi खाट (khāṭ), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀔𑀝𑁆𑀝𑀸 (khaṭṭā), from Sanskrit खट्वा (khaṭvā, “bedstead”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English cot, cote, from Old English cot and cote (“cot, cottage”), from Proto-Germanic *kutą, *kutǭ (compare Old Norse kot, Middle High German kūz (“execution pit”)), from Scythian (compare Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬙𐬀 (kata, “chamber”)). Cognate to Dutch kot (“student room; small homestead”). Doublet of cote; more distantly related to cottage.
Etymology 3
From Irish coite, coit (“small boat”), possibly from Medieval Latin cattia (“pan”).
Etymology 4
From dialectal cot, cote, partly from Middle English cot (“matted wool”), from Old English *cot, *cotta, from Proto-Germanic *kuttô (“woolen fabric, wool covering”); and partly from Middle English cot, cote (“tunic, coat”), from Old French cote, from the same Germanic source (see English coat). Possibly influenced by English cotton.
Etymology 5
Contraction of cot-quean.
Etymology 6
Variant of cock