cocoon

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noun co·coon \kə-ˈkün\

Definition of cocoon

1a : an envelope often largely of silk which an insect larva forms about itself and in which it passes the pupa stageb : any of various other protective coverings produced by animals
2a : 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 Mayleb : a protective covering placed or sprayed over military or naval equipment in storage

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Examples of cocoon in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of cocoon from the Web

My son removes the cocoon of newspaper that swaddles my gift, plugs in the Turkish lamp dotted with beads and glass tiles.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Loss And Affirmation: The Poems Of Julia Morris Paul," 18 July 2017
McCarthy has real insight into the way adolescents withdraw emotionally, wrapping themselves in protective cocoons of silence.

— catherine hong, New York Times, "Summer Y.A. Escapes from Sarah Dessen, Andrew McCarthy and More," 12 July 2017
An installation by Alena Kogan exploited a gaping hole between two floors: an angular white cocoon dipped from one level down into the next, as if a huge caterpillar had taken up residence in the industrial ruins.

— sophie pinkham, New Republic, "How a Russian Street Art Museum Defies Kremlin Censors," 3 July 2017
In The Moth's nurturing cocoon, presenters and audiences laugh and cry together over deep, sometimes-dark secrets; embarrassments; hopes and fears; challenges overcome; conflict and resolution.

— kiley armstrong, Detroit Free Press, "The Moth, a global storytelling initiative, turns 20," 30 June 2017
California, or at least the coast, is starting to feel like a cocoon.

— chris nichols, Los Angeles Magazine, "EXCLUSIVE: The Formosa Cafe is Coming Back," 5 June 2017
Stepping out of one’s own cocoon, focusing on the plight of others, especially the children, is indisputably a winning approach to civility and caring.

— mercury news readers, The Mercury News, "June 4 Letters: Trump’s view on Paris accord does not reflect U.S. thinking," 4 June 2017
Returning to Washington, Trump remained in his cocoon -- pleased with himself, but aware the silence won't last much longer.

— kevin liptak and jeff zeleny, CNN, "Trump, feted and chided abroad, returns to uncertainty at home," 28 May 2017
Trump does best -- and has through his entire adult life -- when he is surrounded by the cocoon of his family.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Donald Trump's foreign trip is going smoothly. It won't last," 24 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cocoon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1679

See Words from the same year

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

cocoon

verb co·coon

Definition of cocoon

transitive verb
: to wrap or envelop in or as if in a cocoon

See cocoon defined for English-language learners

Examples of cocoon in a Sentence

Americans are spending more time cocooning at home in recent years.
cocooned in puffy down parkas, we braved the bitter cold as best we could

Recent Examples of cocoon from the Web

Carare’s normally 111-pound body was bloated like a balloon, and cocooned in hospital wires.

— carol marbin miller and elizabeth koh, miamiherald, "A Broward judge says she must be allowed to visit her critically ill daughter. BSO says no.," 2 July 2017
Arthur, lying on a stretcher, cocooned in sheets, and secured by three black straps, stares without expression, nearly paralyzed from ALS.

— spenser mestel, Longreads, "After Marriage Equality, to Party, or to Protest?," 27 June 2017
Cocooning a woman in tape didn’t get his creative juices flowing, according to his resume.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity.com, "Naked women are going clubbing wearing nothing but tape," 16 May 2017
The quiet black wool knits cocooning the body, also on view, illustrate why Kawakubo’s early work was interpreted as a direct attack on Western ideas of female beauty.

— francesca granata, The Atlantic, "The Alienating Garments of Rei Kawakubo," 7 May 2017
Inside each arm, cocooned in layers of steel and concrete, runs the world’s largest bottle of nothing, a vacuum chamber a couple of feet wide containing 2.5 million gallons of empty space.

— dennis overbye, New York Times, "LIGO Hears Gravitational Waves Einstein Predicted," 11 Feb. 2016

Did You Know?

Since at least 1679, English speakers have been using the noun "cocoon" for the silky covering that surrounds a caterpillar or other insect larva in the pupa stage of metamorphosis. The word came into English from French, which in turn borrowed it from an Occitan term for "eggshell." Linguists believe the Occitan term was probably born of the Latin coccum, a noun that has been translated as "kermes," the dried bodies of some insects that can be found on certain trees. The verb "cocoon" has been with us since at least 1881.

First Known Use of cocoon

1881

COCOON Defined for English Language Learners

cocoon

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noun

Definition of cocoon for English Language Learners

: a covering usually made of silk which some insects (such as caterpillars) make around themselves to protect them while they grow
: something that covers or protects a person or thing