Definition of "cocoon" []

• A protective case of silk or similar fibrous material spun by the larvae of moths and other insects that serves as a covering for their pupal stage. (noun)
• A similar natural protective covering or structure, such as the egg case of a spider. (noun)
• A protective plastic coating that is placed over stored military or naval equipment. (noun)
• Something suggestive of a cocoon in appearance or purpose: "a congressionally mandated process that will gradually strip these institutions of a cocoon of regulations” ( Edward Meadows). (noun)
• To envelop in or as if in a cocoon, as for protection from a harsh or unfriendly environment. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He resigned on principle so that he could not be trapped in what he termed the cocoon of collective responsibility to defend or toe the government line."
• "Mike Dukakis share a similar handicap that I call the "cocoon syndrome.""
• "While it would be nice to actually get some reading done during the commute on a train, it's also kind of nice to have the little automobile bubble around you, where you can set your own music and temperature and get a little cocoon from the crazies."