absorbent cotton vs absorbent

absorbent cotton and absorbent both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
absorbent cotton	Yes	No	No	No
absorbent	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, absorbent is a hypernym of absorbent cotton; that is, absorbent is a word with a broader meaning than absorbent cotton:

absorbent cotton: cotton made absorbent by removal of the natural wax
absorbent: a material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance

Other hypernyms of absorbent cotton include absorbent material, cotton, cotton fiber, cotton wool.

absorbent cotton (noun)	absorbent (noun)
cotton made absorbent by removal of the natural wax	a material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance

absorbent cotton (adjective)	absorbent (adjective)
	having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.)