Etymologically
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cobweb

Etymology and origin of the English word cobweb

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Formation
Inherited
Inherited from
Middle English coppeweb

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒbwɛb/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English coppeweb,[2][3][4][5] from coppe “spider” and web.[2][5][3] Coppe is from Old English -coppe in Old English ātorcoppe (“spider”), literally “poison head”,[2][5][6][3] from ātor “poison” and copp “top, head”.[2][5] It is related to Middle Dutch coppe “spider”.[3][4][5] The spelling with -b- dates from the 16th century.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The web spun by a spider to catch its prey (1323).[7][5]

Semantic evolution

Figurative uses appeared in the 1570s: anything flimsy or easily broken, and fanciful, fine-spun reasoning.[6][7] By 1581 cobwebs were also a musty accumulation that should be swept away,[7] and from 1649 a subtle snare.[7] In the plural the word is also used of confusion or muddled thinking, as in a head full of cobwebs.[4][2]

Timeline

  • 1323 – a spider's web.[7][5]
  • 1579 – anything flimsy or insubstantial.[7][6]
  • 1581 – a musty accumulation to be swept away.[7]
  • 1649 – a subtle snare.[7]
  • 1837 – a single spider's thread, used in optical instruments.[7]
  • 1928 – verb, to cover with cobwebs.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The web a spider spins to catch its prey, especially an old, dusty one.
  2. A single thread spun by a spider.
  3. Something flimsy or gauzy like a spider's web.
  4. An intricate plot; a snare.
  5. (usually plural) Confusion or muddled thinking.

Verb

  1. To cover with or as if with cobwebs.

Word family

  • cobwebby
  • cobwebbed
  • attercop

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Cobweb.” Etymologically, 13 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/cobweb. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·