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webbing

webbing

3 5.3
Skin between the toes of birds or amphibians that helps them swim
  • noun
  • /ˈwɛbɪŋ/
translation icon : membrana
  • In some patients who have longstanding apnea or snoring, the webbing can extend to the soft tissues of the lateral pharynx.
  • webbing between toes
  • webbing between fingers
  • webbing between the thumb

Examples

  • Can you see how the spaces between the toes are filled with the thinnest webbing?

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Congenital webbing of the toes is also a common deformity of the foot.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Spines of bone stood erect along its back, connected by a thick webbing of skin.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Unlike syndactyly of the hand, which requires surgical separation, webbing of the toes will not cause any functional problems or limitations.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The sahuagin's back, he saw, bristled with long spines connected by thin webbing.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The frog's webbing between its toes helps it swim efficiently in the water.

  • Birds often have webbing that connects their toes, allowing them to paddle while swimming.

  • The duck's webbing was clearly visible as it paddled effortlessly across the pond.

Synonyms

web
vswebbing
71 1.0

A thin, flat part joining other parts, for example a spider's net or skin between toes

refers to the membranous skin between toes rather than any netlike thing

Compounds

A small pale insect whose young make webs and eat clothes

A small moth that makes silk shelters on plants to live and protect its eggs

Surface Forms

webbing singular
weddings plural

Morphology

webbing = web (semi-transparent) = web + ing

The sense is built from 'web' plus '-ing', but the anatomical meaning is specialized and not fully predictable for a learner from the base alone.

Etymology

Webbing comes from web, which means 'a woven fabric' and is the same root as weave. So the thin skin between a bird's or frog's toes is called webbing because it spreads like a small spider's 'web' and helps the animal swim.