cocoon

¹co·coon

noun \kə-ˈkün\

Definition of COCOON

1

a : an envelope often largely of silk which an insect larva forms about itself and in which it passes the pupa stage b : any of various other protective coverings produced by animals

2

a : something suggesting a cocoon especially in providing protection or in producing isolation <wrapped in a cocoon of blankets> <an interest in the world beyond the everyday cocoon most of us construct — Peter Mayle> b : a protective covering placed or sprayed over military or naval equipment in storage

Examples of COCOON

1. The child was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets.
2. The movie star was surrounded by a protective cocoon of bodyguards.

Origin of COCOON

French cocon, from Occitan coucoun, from coco shell, probably ultimately from Latin coccum kermes (thought to be a gall or berry), from Greek kokkos berry, kermes

First Known Use: 1679

Related to COCOON

Synonyms: armor, capsule, casing, ¹case, cover, covering, encasement, housing, hull, husk, jacket, pod, sheath, shell

Related Words: cartridge, cassette (also casette); bark, crust; carapace, house, mail, panoply, plate, plating, shield; cuticle, hide, skin; envelope, package, wrapper; backing, coating, coverture, facing

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

Rhymes with COCOON

aswoon, attune, baboon, balloon, bassoon, blue moon, buffoon, Calhoun, Cancún, cardoon, cartoon, commune, doubloon, dragoon, festoon, fine-tune, forenoon, full moon, gaboon, gadroon, galloon, Gudrun, half-moon, harpoon, high noon, immune, impugn, jargoon, jejune, Kowloon, Kunlun, lagoon, lampoon, lardoon, Maine coon, maroon, monsoon, Neptune, new moon, oppugn, Pashtun, patroon, platoon, poltroon, pontoon, premune, puccoon, quadroon, ratoon, repugn, rough-hewn, saloon, Sassoon, shalloon, soupspoon, spittoon, spontoon, teaspoon, tribune, triune, tuchun, tycoon, typhoon, untune, Walloon