ceiba

[ sey-buh sahy-; Spanish they-bah, sey- ]

noun

, plural cei·bas [sey, -b, uh, z, sahy, -, they, -bahs, sey, -].

1. the silk-cotton tree, Ceiba pentandra.
2. silk cotton; kapok.

ceiba

/ ˈseɪbə /

noun

1. any bombacaceous tropical tree of the genus Ceiba, such as the silk-cotton tree
2. silk cotton; kapok

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiba¹

First recorded in 1805–15; from Spanish, from Taíno ceyba or its cognate in another Arawakan language

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceiba¹

C19: from New Latin, from Spanish, of Arawak origin

Example Sentences

That inherent discord might also describe the pointy cones of glazed ceramic that stud “The Ceiba Saved Me.”

From Los Angeles Times

The Ceiba occupies a central position in various Mesoamerican mythologies, while the imposing tree’s thorns turn up as ritual decoration on ancient Maya incense burners and burial urns.

From Los Angeles Times

Publishers wanted an orthographic illustration, a drawing of the front, sides and top of the tree, to give readers an undistorted view of a Ceiba pentandra Van Pelt first measured in 1997.

From Seattle Times

The arrest in La Ceiba, a city in northern Honduras, came amid a series of raids and inspections along the Atlantic coast.

From Reuters

At the first, we got lucky: Two magnificent harpy eagles high in the canopy were carrying clusters of dried branches to their growing nest in the crown of a ceiba tree.

From New York Times