From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgossamergos‧sa‧mer /ˈɡɒsəmə $ ˈɡɑːsəmər/ noun [uncountable] 1 literaryTHIN OBJECT OR MATERIAL a very light thin material2 HBIthe light silky thread which spiders leave on grass and bushes
Examples from the Corpus
gossamer• Her glazed porcelain wings billow in a gossamer sweep of iridescence.• a gossamer silk kimono• A moment later her arms were twining round his neck as his lips brushed hers as soft as gossamer.• Saliva glistened on her chin like brown gossamer.• It was made of a fine gossamer fabric that clung to her smooth, flawless skin.• In water, it splits like a spider's web into gossamer strands while retaining its basic strength.• It shone like a snail trail but with none of that gossamer impermanence.Origin gossamer (1300-1400) goose + summer; probably because gossamer appears at a time of year when geese are ready for eating 