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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for August 3, 1999
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gossamer [n., adj. GOS-uh-mer]
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Anything that is light, delicate, and flimsy can be described as
gossamer, and gossamer is also any fabric or material that has those
properties. The oldest sense of the word describes thin, filmy
spiderwebs drifting in the air. Example: "The luna moth's gossamer
wings are a lovely transparent green."
The origins of this word are somewhat mysterious. The most common
theory relates to the time of year when delicate spiderwebs are most
likely to be seen: the warm, dry spells of mid-autumn, in Europe.
That time of year is also when goose is most likely to be cooked.
For that reason, it was known in Middle English as gosesomer (goose
summer), and in German as Gaensemonat (goose month).
It's not difficult to imagine that someone might have described the
filmy spiderwebs of autumn as "gosesomer webs." From there, the word
might have evolved its current meanings, as the original one dropped
away.
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