Cobwebs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A delicate web structure formed by spiders for capturing insects, typically found in dimly lit or unused locations
2. A series of intertwined silk threads crafted by spiders, frequently observed in neglected corners or areas with little activity
3. Fibrous nets spun by spiders, often appearing in undisturbed or shadowy places

Etymology: The plural "cobwebs" is simply the form of "cobweb", so the interesting part is the first half of the compound. "Cob" was an old word for spider, now obsolete, and it survives mainly in this compound. The Old English root is "ātorcoppe", a spider-word that combined a prefix with "coppe", which is the same element that gives "cob" its meaning. The Middle English form "copweb" fused the two parts into one term, and "web" in its older sense was a woven fabric or tissue, so the whole phrase literally meant "spider's web." Related compounds in Middle Dutch ("kopwebbe") and Low German ("Kobbenwebbe") show that the pairing was shared across the North Sea region, which suggests the word was already a settled combination long before English recorded it. Speakers kept "web" as the stable half while the first element slowly lost its independent meaning and became visible only in this word.

Synonyms: spider webs, webs