gossamer

noun gos·sa·mer \ ˈgä-sə-mər also ˈgäz-mər , ˈgä-zə- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of gossamer

1 : a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather

2 : something light, delicate, or insubstantial

the gossamer of youth's dreams
—Andrea Parke

—

gossamery

play \ˈgä-sə-mə-rē also ˈgäz-mə-, ˈgä-zə-\ adjective

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Examples of gossamer in a Sentence

a butterfly's wings of gossamer

Recent Examples of gossamer from the Web

The images feature Rodarte darlings Grimes, Chloe x Halle, Kim Gordon, Rowan Blanchard, (an expecting) Kirsten Dunst, and more in Kate and Laura Mulleavy's gossamer ready-to-wear confections.

— lilah ramzi, Vogue, "Flower Shower: The Story Behind Rodarte’s Dreamy Floral Umbrellas," 1 Feb. 2018
The tracks have a gossamer-like quality that is atmospheric and subtly insistent.

— jim fusilli, WSJ, "‘Aromanticism’ by Moses Sumney Review:," 21 Sep. 2017
In the fourth variation, Prokofiev takes the sprightly rhythms of the opening theme’s first three notes and spins them into gossamer.

— barbara jepson, WSJ, "A Soloist’s Long Awaited Return," 25 Oct. 2017
The Yankees held that strange gossamer of an 8-3 lead when Chad Green faced Lonnie Chisenhall with two outs and two runners on in the sixth.

— tom verducci, SI.com, "Indians Turn Cleveland Into Land of True Belief," 7 Oct. 2017
In bridal wear, quality is of the essence, be it in the form of a rich brocade, a decadent velvet, a fine silk or in this case, a gossamer, glitter-flecked tulle.

— christian oth, Harper's BAZAAR, "17 Non-Traditional Gowns For the Renegade Bride," 17 Mar. 2017
Given this harsh and violent reality, a new report offers a gossamer of optimism.

— ulrich boser, The Atlantic, "The Youth-Counseling Program Helping to Curb Chicago's Violence," 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gossamer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gossamer

Middle English gossomer, from gos goose + somer summer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

gossamer

adjective

Definition of gossamer

: extremely light, delicate, or tenuous

a gossamer white veil

Examples of gossamer in a Sentence

fairies are usually depicted as wearing gossamer or tattered clothing
the gossamer veil seemed to float about the bride as she walked down the aisle

Recent Examples of gossamer from the Web

Behind the hedgerows of their magnificent castles, these anachronistic curiositiesare interesting in the way a collection of old stamps might be, or insects with gossamer wings under glass.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Who cares about the royals? But Meghan Markle . . .," 11 Apr. 2018
How, say, the gossamer bed canopy directly helps with those issues is unclear, but the effort is appreciated.

— barbara eldredge, Curbed, "Dreamy new Ikea collection wants to help you unplug," 16 Mar. 2018
A hundred yards from the rusting ruins at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, a gossamer array of almost 4,000 photovoltaic panels sits atop a thick concrete slab capping a grave of radioactive waste.

— Time, "Chernobyl Is Now the World’s Unlikeliest Green Energy Experiment," 13 Mar. 2018
Victoria Beckham took to the streets of London today, visiting her Dover Street flagship in gossamer light pieces from her new collection.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Victoria Beckham Tests Out Next Season’s Trickiest Trend and Wins," 22 Sep. 2017
It has already been replaced by the first of two spans of a graceful, gossamer crossing built in the new fashion of cable-stayed bridges that seem to hang suspended from the sky rather than stapled to the ground.

— andy newman and patrick mcgeehan, New York Times, "A Gray Puff, and the Old Kosciuszko Bridge Is No More," 1 Oct. 2017
The collection turned out to be entirely made in tulle, including a seersucker shorts outfit, a gorgeous gossamer white coat, and a floral blazer over a fluffy white skirt that looked like drizzle in cherry syrup.

— cathy horyn, The Cut, "How to Dress in 2018," 4 Oct. 2017
Nearby a landscape by Sima Huai, also Yuan era, rendered in gossamer minimalism floating in white space, refers to two lines from a different poet.

— melik kaylan, WSJ, "‘Streams and Mountains Without End: Landscape Traditions of China’ Review: A Genre Flows Through History," 8 Sep. 2017
With its quotidian rhythms, gossamer-thin story and steady accumulation of visual wonders, the movie may indeed test the limits of your attention span at times, but always in the interests of expanding your vision and clarifying your perceptions.

— justin chang, latimes.com, "John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson tour buildings and emotions in the quietly captivating 'Columbus'," 3 Aug. 2017