Gossamer

Etymology

From Middle English "gossomer," most likely a compound of "gos" ("goose") and "somer" ("summer"). The name probably points to a mild spell in late autumn — a "goose summer," when geese were eaten — during which fine spider silk drifts through the air. From those floating threads the word came to mean anything exceptionally light and filmy, though this origin, while widely accepted, is not certain.

adjective · /GOS-uh-mur/
Extremely light, thin, and delicate.
What it names
The word for something so fine it seems almost weightless — spider silk, a veil, a fragile hope.
Example
Her wedding dress was overlaid with a gossamer layer of silk tulle.
Related idea
Sheer describes fabric so thin it is see-through; gossamer stresses lightness and fragility more than transparency.
noun · /GOS-uh-mur/
Fine, filmy threads of spider silk that float in the air or drape over grass in still, cool weather.
What it names
The gauzy webbing spiders spin to drift on air currents, often seen glinting on autumn mornings.
Example
Gossamer stretched between the fence posts, silvered with dew.
Related idea
The adjective — meaning delicately light — comes straight from this noun. Distinguish it from a cobweb, which names the tangled, dusty remains of an abandoned web.