Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms
Related Questions
What is gossamer?

gossamer

 [gos-uh-mer]   Example Sentences Origin

gos·sa·mer

   [gos-uh-mer]
noun
1.
a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather, especially in autumn.
2.
a thread or a web of this substance.
3.
an extremely delicate variety of gauze, used especially for veils.
4.
any thin, light fabric.
5.
something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate.
EXPAND
6.
a thin, waterproof outer garment, especially for women.
COLLAPSE
adjective
7.
Also, gos·sa·mer·y  [gos-uh-muh-ree] , gos·sa·mered. of or like gossamer; thin and light.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Gossamer is a GRE word you need to know.
So is paradigm. Does it mean:
a set of forms which contain a particular element; an example serving as a model or pattern
playfully jocular
LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English gosesomer (see goose, summer1); possibly first used as name for late, mild autumn, a time when goose was a favorite dish (compare German Gänsemonat November), then transferred to the cobwebs frequent at that time of year
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To gossamer
Example Sentences
  • Her shapely arms were bare, and in her hands she held a gossamer scarf.
  • Silkworms get the pigments they use to color their gossamer product from mulberry leaves, the only food they eat.
  • To decorate your patio or porch this month, try plants instead of plastic pumpkins or gossamer ghosts.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
gossamer (ˈɡɒsəmə)
 
—n
1.  a gauze or silk fabric of the very finest texture
2.  a filmy cobweb often seen on foliage or floating in the air
3.  anything resembling gossamer in fineness or filminess
4.  (modifier) made of or resembling gossamer: gossamer wings
 
[C14 (in the sense: a filmy cobweb): probably from gosgoose1 + somersummer1; the phrase refers to St Martin's summer, a period in November when goose was traditionally eaten; from the prevalence of the cobweb in the autumn; compare German Gänsemonat, literally: goosemonth, used for November]
 
'gossamery
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

gossamer
early 14c., "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
EXPAND
(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.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT