/ kəˈkuːn; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a covering of silk threads that some insects make to protect themselves before they become adults
2.
a soft covering that wraps all around a person or thing and forms a protection :
( figurative )
the cocoon of a caring family
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] cocoon sb/sth (in sth) to protect sb/sth by surrounding them or it completely with sth :
We were warm and safe, cocooned in our sleeping bags.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from French cocon , from medieval Provençal coucoun eggshell, cocoon, diminutive of coca shell. The verb dates from the mid 19th cent.