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Webster 1913 Edition


Cobweb

Cob′webˊ

,
Noun.
[
Cob
a spider +
web
.]
1.
The network spread by a spider to catch its prey.
2.
A snare of insidious meshes designed to catch the ignorant and unwary.
I can not but lament thy splendid wit
Entangled in the
cobwebs
of the schools.
Cowper.
3.
That which is thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish.
The dust and
cobwebs
of that uncivil age.
Sir P. Sidney.
4.
(Zool.)
The European spotted flycatcher.
Cobweb lawn
,
a fine linen, mentioned in 1640 as being in pieces of fifteen yards.
Beck. Draper’s Dict.

Cobweb micrometer
,
a micrometer in which threads of cobweb are substituted for wires.

Webster 1828 Edition


Cobweb

COBWEB

, n.
1.
The line, thread or filament which a spider spins from its abdomen; the net-work spread by a spider to catch its prey. Hence,
2.
Any snare, implying insidiousness and weakness.
In this sense it is used adjectively or in composition, for thin, flimsy; as a cobweb law.
Or slender, feeble; as the cobweb thread of life.

Definition 2024


cobweb

cobweb

English

Noun

cobweb (plural cobwebs)

  1. A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.
  2. One of its filaments; gossamer
  3. (figuratively) Something thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish.
    • Sir Philip Sidney
      The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age.
  4. An intricate plot to catch the unwary
    • Cowper
      Entangled in the cobwebs of the schools.
  5. (Internet, rare, slang) A web page that either has not been updated for a long time, or that is rarely visited
  6. The European spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata.

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