Cobwebby

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a delicate appearance and fine, thread-like textures that evoke the visual qualities of spider webs and convey a sense of fragility and intricacy
2. Characterized by an appearance that is intricate and delicate, resembling the fine threads of a spider's web while embodying a sense of fragility and detail
3. Covered with silky threads spun by spiders, giving a dusty or neglected look ; having a fragile and intricately thin texture like spider silk

Etymology: Cobwebby is a straightforward formation: the adjective "cobweb" with the suffix "-y" added to it, a common English pattern for describing something that has or resembles the quality of a noun. The noun itself is the older and more interesting piece. "Cobweb" combines "cob," an old word for spider, with "web," so the compound is literally a spider's web, and "cob" survives in English largely in this one word. The "-y" ending traces back through Middle English and Old English, where the suffix took the form "-ig" and meant "full of" or "characterized by." Adding it to "cobweb" produces a word meaning covered in such threads, and the sense easily stretched from the literal threads to the dusty, neglected atmosphere a room takes on when left alone long enough to collect them.

Synonyms: spiderweb-like, webbed, filmy, gossamer, translucent

Antonyms: clear, clean, solid, dense, opaque