Meanings
plural kapok trees
- Ceiba pentandra, a tree of the tropical Americas and west-central Africa, with white flowers, cultivated in south-east Asia for its seed fibre.
Right smack in the middle of the village is a huge kapok tree, which is where they get together and have their market every fifth day.
1998, Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible, Faber and Faber, published 2013, page 123Synonyms: kapok
- The silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba), an Asian tree with red flowers.
The coastal morning glory was left to creep up a bamboo pole that leaned against the kapok tree.
2015, Eka Kurniawan, translated by Labodalih Sembiring, Man Tiger, Verso, page 111Synonyms: kapok
- Two trees with yellow flowers native to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
- Cochlospermum gillivraei
- Cochlospermum fraseri
Synonyms & antonyms
nounCeiba pentandra, a tree of the tropical Americas and west-central Africa, with white flowers, cultivated in south-east Asia for its seed fibre.
nounThe silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba), an Asian tree with red flowers.
Origin
Translations
Arabic شَجَر كَابُوك, شَجَر كَابُوك
- شَجَر كَابُوك (šajar kābūk)Ceiba pentandra
- شَجَر كَابُوك (šajar kābūk)Bombax ceiba
Catalan capoquer
- capoquerCeiba pentandra
Chinese Cantonese 木棉
- 木棉 (muk⁶ min⁴)Bombax ceiba
Chinese Mandarin 木棉
- 木棉 (mùmián)Bombax ceiba
Dutch kapokboom, kankantri
- kapokboomCeiba pentandra
- kankantriCeiba pentandra
Finnish amazoninkapokkipuu, valkokapokkio
- amazoninkapokkipuuCeiba pentandra
- valkokapokkioBombax ceiba
French fromager
- fromagerCeiba pentandra
German Kapokbaum, weißer Kapokbaum
- KapokbaumCeiba pentandra
- weißer KapokbaumCeiba pentandra
- weißer SeidenwollbaumCeiba pentandra
- SeidenwollbaumCeiba pentandra
- asiatischer KapokbaumBombax ceiba
- indischer KapokbaumBombax ceiba
- roter SeidenwollbaumBombax ceiba
- KapokbaumBombax ceiba
- roter KapokbaumBombax ceiba
Japanese パンヤの木, カポック
- パンヤの木 (pan'ya-no-ki)Ceiba pentandra
- カポック (kapokku)Ceiba pentandra
- インドキワタ (indo-kiwata)Ceiba pentandra
- パンヤ (pan'ya)Ceiba pentandra
- インド綿の木 (indo-wata-no-ki)Bombax ceiba
- 木綿 (kiwata)Bombax ceiba
- 木綿の木 (kiwata-no-ki)Bombax ceiba
Swahili msufi
- msufiCeiba pentandra
Swedish kapok, indiskt dunträd
- kapokCeiba pentandra
- indiskt dunträdBombax ceiba
Thai งิ้ว
- งิ้ว (ngíu)Bombax ceiba
Turkish peynir ağacı
- peynir ağacıBombax ceiba
Vietnamese bông gòn, gòn
- bông gònCeiba pentandra
- gònCeiba pentandra
- gạoBombax ceiba
Cite this entry
kapok tree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapok%20tree
“kapok tree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapok%20tree. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kapok tree,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kapok%20tree.
Source: kapok tree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.