Library / English Dictionary

WEB

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: webbed    , webbing   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The flattened weblike part of a feather consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft

Synonyms:

vane; web

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

blade (a broad flat body part (as of the shoulder or tongue))

Meronyms (parts of "web"):

barb (one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather)

Holonyms ("web" is a part of...):

feather; plumage; plume (the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Membrane connecting the toes of some aquatic birds and mammals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

membrane; tissue layer (a pliable sheet of tissue that covers or lines or connects the organs or cells of animals or plants)

Holonyms ("web" is a part of...):

webfoot (a foot having the toes connected by folds of skin)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An intricate trap that entangles or ensnares its victim

Synonyms:

entanglement; web

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

trap (a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "web"):

spider's web; spider web (a web resembling the webs spun by spiders)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A fabric (especially a fabric in the process of being woven)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

cloth; fabric; material; textile (artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers)

Derivation:

web (construct or form a web, as if by weaving)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Computer network consisting of a collection of internet sites that offer text and graphics and sound and animation resources through the hypertext transfer protocol

Synonyms:

web; World Wide Web; WWW

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

computer network ((computer science) a network of computers)

Sense 6

Meaning:

An interconnected system of things or people

Example:

tangled in a web of cloth

Synonyms:

network; web

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

scheme; system (a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "web"):

reticulum (any fine network (especially one in the body composed of cells or blood vessels))

espionage network (a network of spies)

old boy network (an exclusive informal network linking members of a social class or profession or organization in order to provide connections and information and favors (especially in business or politics))

support system (a network of facilities and people who interact and remain in informal communication for mutual assistance; a network that enables you to live in a certain style)

Derivation:

web (construct or form a web, as if by weaving)

Sense 7

Meaning:

An intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving

Example:

the trees cast a delicate web of shadows over the lawn

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("web" is a kind of...):

object; physical object (a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "web"):

spider's web; spider web (a web spun by spiders to trap insect prey)

tent (a web that resembles a tent or carpet)

webbing (something forming a web (as between the toes of birds))

Derivation:

web (construct or form a web, as if by weaving)

webby (having open interstices or resembling a web)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Construct or form a web, as if by weaving

Synonyms:

net; web

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "web" is one way to...):

tissue; weave (create a piece of cloth by interlacing strands of fabric, such as wool or cotton)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

web (a fabric (especially a fabric in the process of being woven))

web (an interconnected system of things or people)

web (an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving)

webbing (a strong fabric woven in strips)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The Newfoundland is a strong, massive dog with a broad heavy head and webbed feet.

(Newfoundland, NCI Thesaurus)

Like many other pack hounds, the feet are webbed for swimming.

(Otterhound, NCI Thesaurus)

As a rule, Perrault travelled ahead of the team, packing the snow with webbed shoes to make it easier for them.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

And this man I bent over—this commonplace, quiet stranger—how had he become involved in the web of horror? and why had the Fury flown at him?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The webbed feet aid in swimming.

(Labrador Retriever, NCI Thesaurus)

Clinical signs of the symmetrical form are identical to those of Turner syndrome and include bilateral webbing of the neck and edema of the extremities.

(Bonnevie-Ullrich Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

Their web site provides immediate access to existing life science research and integrates new data as it emerges.

(BioCarta, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by short stature, webbed neck, hypertelorism, low-set ears, deafness, and thrombocytopenia or abnormal platelet function.

(Noonan syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

A unique code used by publishers in the identification and exchange of the content of a digital object, such as a journal article, web document, or other item of intellectual property.

(Digital Object Identifier, NCI Thesaurus)

The results are consistent with the black hole having a patchy, spherical web of dust located a few trillion miles (half a light-year) from the black hole itself.

(Studies Find Echoes of Black Holes Eating Stars, NASA)