COBWEB

cobweb

(noun) a dense elaborate spider web that is more efficient than the orb web

cobweb, gossamer

(noun) filaments from a web that was spun by a spider

cobweb

(noun) a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

cobweb (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

(figurative) Something thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; valueless remainder.

An intricate plot to catch the unwary

(internet slang, rare) A web page that either has not been updated for a long time, or that is rarely visited

The European spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata.

(informal, usually, in the plural) fuzzy inexact memories

Hypernyms

• web

Source: Wiktionary


Cob"web`, n. Etym: [Cob a spider + web.]

1. The network spread by a spider to catch its prey.

2. A snare of insidious meshes designed to catch the ignorant and unwary. I can not but lament thy splendid wit Entangled in the cobwebs of the schools. Cowper.

3. That which is thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish. The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age. Sir P. Sidney.

4. (Zoöl.)

Definition: The European spotted flycatcher. Cobweb lawn, a fine linen, mentioned in 1640 as being in pieces of fifteen yards. Beck. Draper's Dict. Such a proud piece of cobweb lawn. Beau. & Fl. Cobweb micrometer, a micrometer in which threads of cobwed are substituted for wires.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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