Adjacent Words

Gossamer definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GOS'SAMER, n. [L. gossipium, cotton.] A fine filmy substance, like cobwebs, floating in the air, in calm clear weather, especially in autumn. It is seen in stubble fields and on furz or low bushes, and is probably formed by a species of spider.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy; "this smallest and most ethereal of birds"; "gossamer shading through his playing" [syn: ethereal, gossamer]
2: so thin as to transmit light; "a hat with a diaphanous veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings"; "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks" [syn: diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebby] n
1: a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
2: filaments from a web that was spun by a spider [syn: cobweb, gossamer]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English gossomer, from gos goose + somer summer Date: 14th century 1. a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather 2. something light, delicate, or insubstantial <the gossamer of youth's dreams — Andrea Parke> • gossamery adjective II. adjective Date: circa 1807 extremely light, delicate, or tenuous

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 a filmy substance of small spiders' webs. 2 delicate filmy material. 3 a thread of gossamer. --adj. light and flimsy as gossamer. Derivatives: gossamered adj. gossamery adj. Etymology: ME gos(e)somer(e), app. f. GOOSE + SUMMER(1) (goose summer = St Martin's summer, i.e. early November when geese were eaten, gossamer being common then)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gossamer Gos"sa*mer, n. [OE. gossomer, gossummer, gosesomer, perh. for goose summer, from its downy appearance, or perh. for God's summer, cf. G. mariengarr gossamer, properly Mary's yarn, in allusion to the Virgin Mary. Perhaps the E. word alluded to a legend that the gossamer was the remnant of the Virgin Mary's winding sheet, which dropped from her when she was taken up to heaven. For the use of summer in the sense of film or threads, cf. G. M["a]dchensommer, Altweibersommer, fliegender Sommer, all meaning, gossamer.] 1. A fine, filmy substance, like cobwebs, floating in the air, in calm, clear weather, especially in autumn. It is seen in stubble fields and on furze or low bushes, and is formed by small spiders. 2. Any very thin gauzelike fabric; also, a thin waterproof stuff. 3. An outer garment, made of waterproof gossamer. Gossamer spider (Zo["o]l.), any small or young spider which spins webs by which to sail in the air. See Ballooning spider.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

You use gossamer to indicate that something is very light, thin, or delicate. (LITERARY) ...the daring gossamer dresses of sheer black lace. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Floating spider's web, filmy cobweb.

Moby Thesaurus

air, airy, animal fiber, artificial fiber, attenuate, attenuated, boyish, bubble, cambric tea, capillament, chaff, chip, cilium, cirrus, clear, clear as crystal, cobweb, cork, crystal, crystal-clear, crystalline, dainty, delicate, denier, diaphane, diaphanous, diluted, dishwater, down, downy, dust, ether, ethereal, fairy, feather, fiber, fibrilla, filament, filamentule, filmy, fine, fine-drawn, fine-grained, finespun, flagellum, flimsy, flue, fluff, fluffy, foam, frail, froth, fuzz, fuzzy, gauzy, girlish, gossamery, gracile, gruel, hair, hank, house of cards, insubstantial, lacy, light, light-pervious, limpid, lucid, matchwood, milk and water, misty, mote, nonopaque, papery, peekaboo, pellucid, pubescent, rare, rarefied, reed, refined, revealing, rope of sand, sand castle, satin, satiny, see-through, sheer, silky, skein, slender, slenderish, slight, slight-made, slim, slimmish, slinky, small, smooth, sponge, spume, strand, straw, subtle, suture, svelte, sylphlike, tendril, tenuous, thin, thin-bodied, thin-set, thin-spun, thinnish, thistledown, thread, threadlet, threadlike, transparent, transpicuous, unclouded, vague, velutinous, velvety, wasp-waisted, water, watered, watered-down, watery, weak, web, willowy, wiredrawn, wispy