I'm trying to find any information on the origins of the Russian вата (vata), meaning cotton. Russian etymologists point in the general direction of French ouate and German Watte and stop there. French etymologists write about Arabian wadd’a ("to stuff"), but seem unsure of the validity of this theory. And I don't read in German or Arabic, unfortunately.
The reason I'm curious is the Japanese word for cotton (綿) that reads "wata". I can't see any historically plausible connections, but the direct hit in both meaning and pronounciation made me wonder.
Any suggestions?
