Gŏs-sĭp'pi-ŭm, n.

n. [Lat. gossypion or gossipion.] (Bot.) A genus of plants. The cotton plant (G. Barbadense), a shrubby plant, from six to fifteen feet high, produces the sea island or long staple cotton. G. herbaceum is the species cultivated in India, and produces an inferior quality of cotton, with a short staple.