The flashcard defines 'gossamer' as an adjective meaning extremely light, delicate, or tenuous. The word originated from a Middle English term for a mild autumn weather, possibly related to geese and cobwebs.
The flashcard defines 'gossamer' as an adjective meaning extremely light, delicate, or tenuous. The word originated from a Middle English term for a mild autumn weather, possibly related to geese and cobwebs.
| Word | gossamer |
|---|---|
| Date | June 15, 2015 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | GAH-suh-mer |
| Etymology | In the days of Middle English, a period of mild weather in late autumn or early winter was sometimes called a gossomer, literally "goose summer." People may have chosen that name for a late-season warm spell because October and November were the months when people felt that geese were at their best for eating. Gossomer was also used in Middle English as a word for filmy cobwebs floating through the air in calm, clear weather, apparently because somebody thought the webs looked like the down of a goose. This sense eventually inspired the adjective gossamer, which means "light, delicate, or tenuous"-just like cobwebs or goose down. |
| Examples | Except for a few gossamer clouds, the sky was clear and blue. "On two screens, she watched herself spin in a green field, gossamer wings floating off her body." - Melena Ryzik, New York Times, March 3, 2015 |
| Definition | : extremely light, delicate, or tenuous |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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