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gossamer - 4 dictionary results
gos⋅sa⋅mer
[gos-uh-mer] 
ə
–noun
| 1. | a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather, esp. in autumn. |
| 2. | a thread or a web of this substance. |
| 3. | an extremely delicate variety of gauze, used esp. for veils. |
| 4. | any thin, light fabric. |
| 5. | something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate. |
| 6. | a thin, waterproof outer garment, esp. for women. |
–adjective
| 7. | Also, gos⋅sa⋅mer⋅y [gos-uh-muh-ree] , gos⋅sa⋅mered. of or like gossamer; thin and light. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To gossamer
| gos·sa·mer (gŏs'ə-mər) n.
[Middle English gossomer : gos, goose; see goose + somer, summer (probably from the abundance of gossamer during early autumn when geese are in season); see summer1.] gos'sa·mer·y adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : gossamer
Spanish:
hilos de telaraña,
German:
der Altweibersommer,
Japanese:
くもの糸
gossamer
c.1325, "spider threads spun in fields of stubble in late fall," apparently from gos "goose" + sumer "summer" (cf. Swed. sommertrad "summer thread"). The reference might be to a fancied resemblance of the silk to goose down, or because geese are in season then. The Ger. equivalent mädchensommer (lit. "girls' summer") also has a sense of "Indian summer," and the Eng. word may originally have referred to a warm spell in autumn before being transferred to a phenomenon especially noticable then. Meaning "anything light or flimsy" is from c.1400. The adj. sense "filmy" is attested from 1802.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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