Though a “Cobweb” was, in fact, a web made by a cop, we don’t mean a trap set by a policeman.
No, six hundred years ago an ordinary spider, though more commonly called a spider, was also known as a cop, and when that term was combined with web its pronunciation was softened to cob.

Related Posts
-
What Is a Cobweb and Where Does the Word Cobweb Come From? A cobweb is a spiderweb. The word cob comes from the Middle English word coppe for spider. Apart from that, there is also a group of spiders specifically called "cobweb spiders." Cobweb spiders…
-
Where Do Cobwebs Come From and What Does the Word Cobweb Mean? Cobwebs are made by spiders. The word "cob" is derived from the Middle English word for spider, coppe, and cobweb is often used to refer to any spiderweb. The dusty strings that do…
-
What is the Difference Between a Spider Web and a Cobweb and How Did the Word Cob Originate? All spiders create their webs through a liquid secretion that hardens in the air. These webs are nearly invisible, especially to the insects they trap. In modern language, the spider's web becomes a…
-
What does the word “gauntlet” mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from? During the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, the English forces observed a form of disciplinary punishment used among their German allies. It looked highly effective, so it was not…
-
What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word “incubus” come from? In the Middle Ages any woman who gave birth to a witch or sorceress was supposed to have been visited, in her sleep, by a male demon or evil spirit. The name given…
-
Where does the word “Toilet” come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French? The word "toilet" has had a rather curious development in the little more than four hundred years it has been in the language. Its origin was the French toilette, the diminutive of wile,…