cocoon
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The silky case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, protecting the pupa within.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhkoonSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
kəˈkun
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The silky case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, protecting the pupa within.
Silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs
Any similar protective case, whether real or metaphorical.
verb
transitive
To envelop in a protective case.
intransitive
To withdraw into such a case.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The silky case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, protecting the pupa within.
Used this way, cocoon is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cocoon
- “Families cocoon around the T.V. set most evenings.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.