In British English, a cot is a small bed with high sides, for a baby. They usually have bars on the sides to prevent the baby from falling out.
In US English, a cot is a small folding bed, that can be used to accommodate unexpected extra visitors, for example (child or adult.)
A hospital bed is also sometimes referred to as a cot. The word comes from the Hindi khat, "bedstead or hammock."
A more old-fashioned use of the word cot (in UK English only) is as a short form of the word cottage, suggesting a hut or shelter rather than a house. This usage, as in "a shepherd's cot" was always more poetic than every day language, and now is hardly used at all.
Cot can also be an abbreviation for the word cotangent, a mathematical term.
In US English, a cot is a small folding bed, that can be used to accommodate unexpected extra visitors, for example (child or adult.)
A hospital bed is also sometimes referred to as a cot. The word comes from the Hindi khat, "bedstead or hammock."
A more old-fashioned use of the word cot (in UK English only) is as a short form of the word cottage, suggesting a hut or shelter rather than a house. This usage, as in "a shepherd's cot" was always more poetic than every day language, and now is hardly used at all.
Cot can also be an abbreviation for the word cotangent, a mathematical term.
