gossamer

gos·sa·mer

Use gossamer in a sentence

A gossamer cobweb.

adjective

The definition of gossamer is light, thin and filmy.
An example of something gossamer is a layer of bubble liquid spread in the air.

noun

The definition of a gossamer is a cobweb, or a soft, sheer piece of cloth.
An example of a gossamer is a very lightweight, sheer piece of fabric.

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MLA Style

"gossamer." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer>.

APA Style

gossamer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer

gossamer

a filmy cobweb floating in the air or spread on bushes or grass
a very thin, soft, filmy cloth
a lightweight waterproof coat
anything like gossamer in lightness, flimsiness, etc.

Origin of gossamer

Middle English gosesomer, literally , goose summer: with allusion to the warm period in fall (St. Martin's summer) when geese are in season and gossamer is chiefly noticed

light, thin, and filmy

also gos′sa·mery

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MLA Style

"gossamer." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer>.

APA Style

gossamer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer

gossamer

noun

A fine film of cobwebs that is often seen floating in the air or is caught on bushes or grass.
Something that is light, delicate, or sheer, such as fabric.

adjective

Sheer, light, or delicate: “An iron bedstead swathed in gossamer muslin stands out from all walls, adrift as a cloud” ( Margo Miller ) See Synonyms at airy.

Origin of gossamer

Middle English gossomer gos goose ; see goose . somer summer ( probably from the abundance of gossamer during early autumn when geese migrate and are often hunted ); see summer ¹.

Related Forms:

gos′sa·mer·y
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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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"gossamer." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer>.

APA Style

gossamer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gossamer

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural gossamers)

A fine film or strand as of cobwebs, floating in the air or caught on bushes etc.
A soft, sheer fabric.
Anything delicate, light and flimsy.

Adjective

(comparative more gossamer, superlative most gossamer)

Tenuous, light, filmy or delicate.
"The heaven was spangled with tremulous stars, and at the horizon the clouds hung down in gossamer folds---God's robe trailing in the sea!" — Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907)

Origin

From Middle English gossomer, from gos (“goose”) + somer (“summer”).

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