gossamer
gossamer — adjective
1. so thin, soft, and finely made that it seems almost weightless — used mostly in
so thin, soft, and finely made that it seems almost weightless — used mostly in writing about fabrics, wings, threads, or other airy materials.
Nellie wore a gossamer scarf that lifted with every breath of wind on the hillside.
attributive: gossamer + fabric noun (scarf, veil, dress)
The dancer's costume had gossamer sleeves that floated around her arms under the stage lights.
describing clothing that moves visibly in air
Felipe brushed away a gossamer thread that had drifted from the spider's web onto his book.
Tiny insects beat their gossamer wings above the still pond all through the warm evening.
Salma painted the morning mist as a gossamer veil hanging over the rice fields.
- diaphanous
formal; specifically for cloth so thin you can see through it
- filmy
neutral register; suggests a thin layer rather than a thread
- sheer
everyday word; widely used of fabrics like tights, curtains, blouses
- wispy
for things like hair, smoke, or clouds — slightly different image
文法句型
gossamer + noun
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (before a noun). Subjects are typically thin, airy things — wings, fabric, mist, threads — not solid objects. Mostly literary or descriptive writing; rare in speech.
常見錯誤
gossamer — noun
1. the extremely fine silk a spider spins to build its web, or the thin layer of co
the extremely fine silk a spider spins to build its web, or the thin layer of cobwebs you sometimes see floating in calm, clear air.
Sade noticed strands of gossamer drifting across the garden in the still autumn air.
uncountable; common context: autumn / morning / still air
Drops of dew clung to the gossamer between two branches of the old apple tree.
the + gossamer (specific webbing seen in a scene)
Mathieu showed the children how a single spider can spin metres of gossamer in one night.
The hedge was covered in silver gossamer that shone in the early sunlight.
Ilan brushed the gossamer from his sleeve after walking through the misty woods at dawn.
- cobweb
everyday word; counts a single web, not the silk material
- spider silk
plain technical term used in science writing
文法句型
a/the gossamer of [spider]
gossamer (uncountable)
用法筆記
Uncountable. Refers to spider silk seen as floating threads or a thin film of webs, not to a single web (which is 'cobweb' or 'web'). Distinguish from sense 2, which is any light, airy material.
常見錯誤
2. any very fine, soft, almost weightless material — for example a thin gauze cloth
any very fine, soft, almost weightless material — for example a thin gauze cloth, a layer of mist, or a delicate piece of lace.
Evelyn draped a pale gossamer over the bride's shoulders as the ceremony began in the garden.
a/an + gossamer for a specific piece of fine cloth
The mountain rose behind a gossamer of morning mist that slowly burned away.
figurative: gossamer of mist / haze / smoke
Hao chose a soft gossamer for the lining of the small jewellery box on his shop counter.
A thin gossamer of dust floated through the sunlight in the empty schoolroom.
Quan unpacked the antique fan, careful not to tear the gossamer stretched across its bamboo ribs.
文法句型
a gossamer of [material]
gossamer (uncountable)
用法筆記
Distinct from sense 1 (spider silk) — this sense covers any airy, almost-weightless material, real or figurative. Often takes 'a/an' when naming one specific delicate piece; uncountable when describing the material in general.