Definify.com
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
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 2025
cobweb
cobweb
English
Noun
cobweb (plural cobwebs)
- A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.
- One of its filaments; gossamer
- (figuratively) Something thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; rubbish.
- Sir Philip Sidney
- The dust and cobwebs of that uncivil age.
- Sir Philip Sidney
- An intricate plot to catch the unwary
- Cowper
- Entangled in the cobwebs of the schools.
- Cowper
- (Internet, rare, slang) A web page that either has not been updated for a long time, or that is rarely visited
- The European spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata.
Hypernyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
a spider’s web — see spiderweb