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Something that is amorphous has no clear shape, boundaries, or structure.
When something attenuates, it lessens in size or intensity; it becomes thin or weakened.
Corporeal means relating to the physical or material world rather than the spiritual; corporeal also means characteristic of the body, rather than the mind or feelings.
If you describe someone as corpulent, you mean that he or she is extremely fat.
A diaphanous cloth is thin enough to see through.
Something ethereal has a delicate beauty that makes it seem not part of the real world.
If you describe speech or writing as limpid, it is clear, simple, and easily understood; if you describe something, such as water or eyes, as limpid you mean that it is clear or transparent.
If someone is lucid she is able to understand things and think clearly; lucid is especially used when someone was not always able to do this because of illness or confusion.
If you refer to an organization or system as a monolith, you mean it is very large and unwilling or very slow to change and adopt something new.
If you describe something as nebulous you mean that it is unclear, vague, and not clearly defined; a shape that is nebulous has no clear boundaries.
If you say something is opaque it means that it is either difficult to understand or is not transparent.
Something that is pellucid is either extremely clear because it is transparent to the eye or it is very easy for the mind to understand.
When a substance permeates something, it enters into all parts of it.
To rarefy something is to make it less dense.
If you say that something is somatic, you mean that it relates to or affects the body and not the mind.
Stasis is a state of little change over a long period of time.
If you are steadfast you have a firm belief in your actions or opinions and refuse to give up or change them because you are certain that you are doing the right thing.
Svelte is usually applied to a woman and is used to describe an attractive, slender, and graceful figure.
Something tenuous is thin, weak, and unconvincing.
A translucent object allows some light to pass through it.
Something that is turbid, such as water, is muddy or cloudy because it has lots of small pieces of matter or dirt in it.
Something that is vaporous is not completely formed, but foggy and misty; in the same vein, a vaporous idea is insubstantial and vague.
Adj.
gossamer
GOS-uh-mer
Context
The supermodel, known for her outrageous outfits, shocked the public by appearing in a see-through, gossamer dress that left little to the imagination. “Her reputation is hanging by thin, gossamer threads,” reported one tabloid, indicating that she was supposedly losing popularity rapidly. The next day, however, no one even remembered what she had been wearing. She appeared at the next gala in a similar light, flimsy, silky, gossamer gown that caught everyone’s attention yet again.
Quiz:Try again!
What does gossamer describe?
Something that shocks the public.
Something that is made of expensive thread.
Something that is thin, almost transparent, and airy.
Became a Ghost When I became a ghost, I gained a gossamer body through which all could see.
Examples
The gossamer-thin strands of ultra-pure glass delivering voice, video and data at the speed of light have replaced copper as the backbone of America’s telephone and cable television networks and enabled the phenomenal growth of the Internet.
—USA Today
Large and bold, and crafted in a flowing style reminiscent of the Belle Epoque, the brooch is mounted in titanium, and is so light you could wear it on the thinnest gossamer silk.
—The Economist
The fabric of civilized society is gossamer thin, and its warp and woof are comprised of threads such as these woven into our hearts in times of grief.
—Newsweek
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said its Stardust spacecraft could pass within 186 miles of the comet Wild 2 on Friday while flying through the gossamer cloud that envelops the dirty ball of ice and rock.
—USA Today
Word Ingredients
Perhaps from root words meaning “goose” and “summer.” During the season of “summer,” fine, filmy cobweb-like strands, or gossamer, are often found in the grass in the early morning dew which resemble fine “goose” down.
