cobweb

cobweb
/kob"web'/, n., v., cobwebbed, cobwebbing.
n.
1. a web spun by a spider to entrap its prey.
2. a single thread spun by a spider.
3. something resembling a cobweb; anything finespun, flimsy, or insubstantial.
4. a network of plot or intrigue; an insidious snare.
5. cobwebs, confusion, indistinctness, or lack of order: I'm so tired my head is full of cobwebs.
v.t.
6. to cover with or as with cobwebs: Spiders cobwebbed the cellar.
7. to confuse or muddle: Drunkenness cobwebbed his mind.
[1275-1325; ME coppeweb, deriv. of OE -coppe spider (in atorcoppe poison spider); c. MD koppe; see WEB]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Cobweb — or cobwebs may refer to: Contents 1 Animals 2 Plants 3 Entertainment …   Wikipedia

  • Cobweb — Cob web , n. [Cob a spider + web.] 1. The network spread by a spider to catch its prey. [1913 Webster] 2. A snare of insidious meshes designed to catch the ignorant and unwary. [1913 Webster] I can not but lament thy splendid wit Entangled in the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cobweb — early 14c., coppewebbe; the first element is O.E. coppe, in atorcoppe spider, lit. poison head (see ATTERCOP (Cf. attercop)). Spelling with b is from 16c., perhaps from COB (Cf. cob). Cob as a stand alone for a spider was an old word nearly dead… …   Etymology dictionary

  • cobweb — [n] entanglement; filament fiber, gossamer, labyrinth, mesh, net, network, snare, tissue, toil, web, webbing; concepts 517,674 …   New thesaurus

  • cobweb — ► NOUN ▪ a spider s web, especially an old or dusty one. DERIVATIVES cobwebbed adjective cobwebby adjective. ORIGIN originally coppeweb: from obsolete coppe «spider», from Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • cobweb — [käb′web΄] n. [ME copweb < coppe, spider (< OE coppe, in atorcoppe < ator, poison + coppe, spider; prob. akin to cop, COP1) + WEB] 1. a web spun by a spider, esp. one spun indoors that has gathered dust 2. a single thread of such a web 3 …   English World dictionary

  • Cobweb — Das Spinnwebtheorem Das Spinnwebtheorem (eigentlich Spinnenwebe Theorem, engl.: cobweb theorem) stellt einen Erklärungsansatz für den um den Gleichgewichtspreis oszillierenden Marktpreis auf den Gütermärkten dar. Der Marktpreis oszilliert hierbei …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • cobweb — n. spider s network to spin a cobweb (spiders spin cobwebs) * * * [ kɒbweb] [ spider s network ] to spin a cobweb (spiders spin cobwebs) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • cobweb — UK [ˈkɒbˌweb] / US [ˈkɑbˌweb] noun [countable] Word forms cobweb : singular cobweb plural cobwebs a net that a spider makes out of thin sticky strings • blow/clear away the cobwebs to make you feel more lively and think more clearly I went for a… …   English dictionary

  • cobweb — Spider web Spi der web , or Spider s web Spi der s web . (Zo[ o]l.) The silken web which is formed by most kinds of spiders, particularly the web spun to entrap their prey; also called {cobweb}. See {Geometric spider}, {Triangle spider}, under… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cobweb — noun Etymology: Middle English coppeweb, from coppe spider (from Old English ātorcoppe) + web; akin to Middle Dutch coppe spider Date: 14th century 1. a. the network spread by a spider ; spiderweb b. tangles of the silk …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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