web / web/ • n. 1. a network of fine threads constructed by a spider from fluid secreted by its spinnerets, used to catch its prey. ∎  a similar filmy network spun by some insect larvae, esp. communal caterpillars. ∎ fig. a complex system of interconnected elements, esp. one perceived as a trap or danger: he found himself caught up in a web of bureaucracy. ∎  (the Web) short for World Wide Web.2. a membrane between the toes of a swimming bird or other aquatic animal. ∎  a thin flat part connecting thicker or more solid parts in machinery.3. a roll of paper used in a continuous printing process. ∎  the endless wire mesh in a papermaking machine on which such paper is made.4. a piece of woven fabric.• v. (webbed, web·bing) [intr.] move or hang so as to form a weblike shape: an intricate transportation network webs from coast to coast. ∎  [tr.] (usu. be webbed) cover with or as though with a web: she noticed his tanned skin, webbed with fine creases.DERIVATIVES: web·like / -ˌlīk/ adj.

web Penelope's web in Greek mythology, the weaving of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, during his ten-year absence. She unravelled every night what she had woven by day, having told the many suitors who had gathered that she would not marry again until the work was finished.

See also a tangled web.

web.
1. Cell, compartment, infill, or severy between the ribs of a Gothic vault.

2. Vertical plate connecting two horizontal flanges or plates in a steel or iron l-beam.

3. Sheet of lead, e.g. on a roof.

web woven fabric OE.; cobweb; tissue, membrane XIII. OE. web(b), corr. to OS. webbi (MDu. webbe, Du. web). OHG. wappi, weppi, ON. vefr :- Gmc. *wab̄jam, -az, f. *wab- WEAVE1.

Web

a texture; a fabrication; webbing collectively; a system. See also tissue.

Examples: web of conjecture; of crime and guilt, 1859; of glass (a quantity), 1545; of learning, 1605; of lies; of life; of miseries, 1577; of diplomatic negotiation, 1860; of thought, 1672; of woes, 1574; of criss-cross wrinkles, 1917.