Cot

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɒt/

Definitions

1. A compact and easily transportable sleeping arrangement typically utilized for resting during travel or outdoor activities
2. A foldable bed structure that provides a temporary sleeping surface for use in various settings such as camping or visiting
3. A small, portable bed often used for infants or in temporary lodging situations; a narrow, lightweight frame with a stretched fabric or mesh surface designed for convenience

Etymology: The most striking thing about this word is how many separate histories it seems to have. The bed sense is usually traced to Hindi "khāt" (a light bedstead, with the same root behind "charpoy"), which English borrowed from Indian languages during the colonial period, so this portable bed came to England by way of India. That Dravidian ancestry is the deeper layer of the story, with the word passing through Hindustani before reaching English. Separately, English already had a "cot" meaning a small shelter or cottage, inherited from Old English "cot," which is related to "cottage" and to Dutch "kot," a student room or small homestead. Speakers of English naturally linked the two words, so the familiar sense of a small enclosed dwelling and the sense of a small bed sit side by side in the vocabulary. A third, older word, meaning a small boat, is also possibly connected, though that link is uncertain.

Synonyms: bed, crib