gossamer
- A fine, delicate, cobweb-like material or fabric, or anything resembling such filmy, light substance.
- Used as an adjective meaning extremely light, thin, and delicate.
In a sentence
- The morning dew clung to gossamer threads stretched between the garden roses, turning each web into a tiny chandelier.
- She wore a gossamer gown that floated around her as she moved across the candlelit ballroom floor.
Usage note. When used as an adjective, 'gossamer' conveys extreme delicacy and near-transparency; it is stronger and more evocative than simply saying 'thin' or 'light.'
Where it comes from
English gossamer — “delicate filmy material” · entered English 14th c.
From Middle English 'gossomer' or 'gossamer,' likely a compound of 'gos' (goose) and 'somer' (summer), referring to 'goose summer,' a period of mild autumn weather when geese were eaten and gossamer spider threads were commonly seen floating in the air. The precise motivation for the goose metaphor is uncertain, though some scholars link it to the German 'Gänsemonat' (goose month). It entered English in the early 14th century.