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gossamer

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gos⋅sa⋅mer

  [gos-uh-mer]
Use gossamer in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME gosesomer (see goose, summer 1 ); possibly first used as name for late, mild autumn, a time when goose was a favorite dish (cf. G 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. 2009.
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Gossamer
Transform Your Party Space with ShindigZ. $65+ Orders Ship Free!
www.ShindigZ.com
Gossamer
Make Your Dance Sparkle with a Custom Theme Kit from Stumps. Shop!
www.stumpsspirit.com
gos·sa·mer   (gŏs'ə-mər)   
n.  

  1. A soft sheer gauzy fabric.

  2. Something delicate, light, or flimsy.

  3. A fine film of cobwebs often seen floating in the air or caught on bushes or grass.

adj.  Sheer, light, delicate, or tenuous. See Synonyms at airy.

[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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Word Origin & History

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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