A machine that separates the seeds from raw cotton fibers; SYN. gin.
Machine that separates cotton fibers from the seed boll. Production of the gin (then called an engine) by US inventor Eli Whitney 1793 was a milestone in textile history.
The modern gin consists of a roller carrying a set of circular saws. These project through a metal grill in a hopper containing the seed bolls. As the roller rotates, the saws pick up the cotton fibers, leaving the seeds behind.