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web (wĕb)
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n.
1.
a. A woven fabric, especially one on a loom or just removed from it.
b. The structural part of cloth.
2. A latticed or woven structure: A web of palm branches formed the roof of the hut.
3. A structure of delicate, threadlike filaments characteristically spun by spiders or certain insect larvae.
4. Something intricately contrived, especially something that ensnares or entangles: caught in a web of lies.
5. A complex, interconnected structure or arrangement: a web of telephone wires.
6. often Web The World Wide Web.
7. A radio or television network.
8. A membrane or fold of skin connecting the toes, as of certain amphibians, birds, and mammals.
9. The barbs on each side of the shaft of a bird's feather; a vane.
10. Baseball A piece of leather or leather mesh that fills the space between the thumb and forefinger of a baseball glove. Also called trap1, webbing.
11. Architecture A space or compartment between the ribs or groins of a vault. Also called cell.
12. A metal sheet or plate connecting the heavier sections, ribs, or flanges of a structural element.
13. A thin metal plate or strip, as the bit of a key or the blade of a saw.
14. A large continuous roll of paper, such as newsprint, either in the process of manufacture or as it is fed into a web press.
tr.v. webbed, web·bing, webs
1. To provide with a web.
2. To cover or envelop with a web.
3. To ensnare in a web.
[Middle English, from Old English; see webh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
(click for a larger image)
web
spider web
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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