Etymology Map
Back to all words

Kapok

2 stages from Malay to English.

Today it means a fine fluffy fibre from the silk-cotton tree, used as stuffing

Where does the word "kapok" come from? It comes from Malay kapuk, adopted directly into English (1750s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
kapuk
Malay · 1600s
"silk-cotton tree fibre"
the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) is native to tropical America and West Africa but was widely planted on Java, which by the early 1900s supplied most of the world's kapok
2
Stage 2 of 2
kapok
English · 1750s
"fluffy seed fibre"
light, buoyant and water-repellent, it stuffed mattresses and filled the life jackets issued in World War II
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Kapok’s story begins in Malay: kapuk meant “silk-cotton tree fibre.” The silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) is native to tropical America and West Africa but was widely planted on Java, which by the early 1900s supplied most of the world's kapok. It reached English by 1750s as kapok. Light, buoyant and water-repellent, it stuffed mattresses and filled the life jackets issued in World War II. Today, kapok means a fine fluffy fibre from the silk-cotton tree, used as stuffing.