gossamer

American  

[gos-uh-mer] / ˈgɒs ə mər /

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 strand of a filmy cobweb seen outdoors.

3. an extremely delicate variety of gauze, used especially for veils.

4. any thin, light fabric.

5. something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate.

   The viper appeared to be midway through sloughing off its skin, half covered as it was with a thin gossamer of its former outer self.

6. a thin, waterproof outer garment, especially for women, popular in the late 19th century.

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adjective

1. Also gossamery gossamered. of or like gossamer; extremely light, flimsy, or delicate: Perhaps our hopes are gossamer dreams, strung together with wishful thinking.

   Did you notice this dragonfly's gossamer wings?

   Perhaps our hopes are gossamer dreams, strung together with wishful thinking.

gossamer British  

/ ˈɡɒsəmə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• gossamery
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gossamer

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gos(s)esomer, gossummer “filmy substance made of cobwebs; fine filament; something trivial”; possibly first used as a 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

Explanation

Gossamer is something super fine and delicate — like a spider web or the material of a wedding veil. The original gossamer, from which these meanings come from, is the fine, filmy substance spiders excrete to weave their webs. A dress can be gossamer-like, if its fabric is so sheer as to be see-through, or almost. Your chances of going to a good college are "gossamer thin" if you've never cracked a book in high school.

Example Sentences

Biotech company Gossamer Bio completed an IPO that way, but most others waited for the government to reopen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Gearhouse carries boutique brands such as Gossamer, whose Mariposa 60-liter pack Maynard swears by.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 15, 2021

All the classic characters from Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to the supporting cast like Gossamer the monster to Marvin the Martian and more show up.

From Salon • May 27, 2020

Or rather – He passed Us – The Dews drew quivering and Chill – For only Gossamer, my Gown – My Tippet – only Tulle –

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2019

Nailer was running a message to the Ladee Bar from the first officer of the Gossamer, a sleek trimaran with fixed wind-wing sails and an impressive Buckell cannon on its foredeck, when everything went wrong.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

• fibrous
• silky
• translucent