TARANTULA

tarantula

(noun) large hairy tropical spider with fangs that can inflict painful but not highly venomous bites

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

tarantula (plural tarantulas or tarantulae)

Any of the large, hairy New World spiders comprising the family Theraphosidae.

Synonyms: bird spider, monkey spider, rain spider

(by extension) A member of certain other groups of spiders, generally characterized by large size, hairiness, or membership of infraorder Mygalomorphae to which Theraphosidae family also belongs.

(dated) A species of wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula, native to southern Europe, the mildly poisonous bite of which was once thought to cause an extreme urge to dance (tarantism). [from mid 16th c.]

Source: Wiktionary

Ta*ran"tu*la, n.; pl. E. Tarantulas, L. Tarantulæ. Etym: [NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliæ). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. [Written also tarentula.] Tarantula killer, a very large wasp (Pompilus formosus), which captures the Texan tarantula (Mygale Hentzii) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition