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



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Word of the Day

12 January 2025

HABIT

(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”


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Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

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