cobweb

cob·web

cobweb

a web spun by a spider, esp. one spun indoors that has gathered dust
a single thread of such a web
anything flimsy, gauzy, or ensnaring, like the web of a spider

Origin of cobweb

Middle English copweb from coppe, spider ( from Old English -coppe, in atorcoppe from ator, poison + -coppe, spider; probably akin to cop, cop) + web, web

transitive verb

-·webbed·, -·web·bing

to cover with or as with cobwebs

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"cobweb." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb>.

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cobweb. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb

cobweb

noun

a. A spiderweb, especially an old one that is covered in dust.
b. A single thread spun by a spider.
Something resembling a spiderweb in gauziness or flimsiness: “An extraordinary number of elegant ladies … flowed in, heels clicking, diamonds flashing, adjusting tiny cobwebs of priceless lace on immaculate coiffures” ( Jane Stevenson )
An intricate plot; a snare: caught in a cobweb of espionage and intrigue.
cobwebs Confusion; disorder: cobwebs on the brain.

transitive verb

cob·webbed, cob·web·bing, cob·webs

To cover with or as if with cobwebs.

Origin of cobweb

Middle English coppeweb coppe spider ( short for attercoppe ) ( from Old English āttercoppe ) ( ātor poison ) ( copp head ) web web ; see web.

Related Forms:

cob′web′by
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"cobweb." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb>.

APA Style

cobweb. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb

Noun

(plural cobwebs)

A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.
One of its filaments; gossamer
(figuratively) Something thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish.
An intricate plot to catch the unwary
(Internet) A web page that either has not been updated for a long time, or that is rarely visited
The European spotted flycatcher.

Origin

From the Middle English coppeweb, from coppe (“spider”), from attercoppe, from Old English āttercoppe, from ātor (“poison”) + copp (“head”) + web (“web”)

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"cobweb." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb>.

APA Style

cobweb. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb

cobweb - Computer Definition

From the Middle English coppeweb, meaning spider web. Coppe is an abbreviation of the Old English attercoppe, meaning poison head. In contemporary usage, an abandoned spider web. This definition has absolutely nothing to do with telecommunications, except for the fact that I noticed a cobweb in my office while I was writing this book, and I was compelled to research the term. (It was one more diversionary tactic of mine. The alternatives were load coil, SMDS, and ytterbium.) See also World Wide Web (WWW).

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"cobweb." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb>.

APA Style

cobweb. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/cobweb

(1) A Web page that has not been updated in a long time.

(2) A Web page that is rarely downloaded because the references to it are obscure or the subject is simply uninteresting.

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.