sheet web
- noun
:
telaraña plana
- Ingenious, a bit complicated, and perhaps rather extravagant on silk production, but because the threads retain their stickiness, this approach is useful for relatively immobile spiders that build up sheet webs.
Examples
-
The spider skillfully spun its sheet web between two trees to catch unsuspecting insects.
-
After the storm, the sheet web in the garden shimmered with droplets of dew.
-
We found a sheet web resting on the forest floor, its intricate patterns glistening in the sunlight.
Synonyms
71
1.0
A thin, flat part joining other parts, for example a spider's net or skin between toes
8
1.4
A fine silk net that a spider makes to catch insects
2
1.0
A net of thin sticky threads made by a spider to catch insects
How Flat
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a flat, sheet-like spider web' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'sheet' (a thin, wide layer) with 'web' (a spider's net). This noun–noun compounding follows predictable English patterns and is readily interpretable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Sheet web The noun sheet web comes from the flat web spiders stretch like a piece of cloth or a small sheet or hammock between plants. That's why sheet web means a flat web that spiders make to catch insects.