Word Study
Arachnoid
CIDE DICTIONARY
Arachnoid, a. [Gr. like a cobweb; spider, spider's web + e'i^dos form.].
- Resembling a spider's web; cobweblike. [1913 Webster]
- Pertaining to a thin membrane of the brain and spinal cord, between the dura mater and pia mater. [1913 Webster]
- Covered with, or composed of, soft, loose hairs or fibers, so as to resemble a cobweb; cobwebby. [1913 Webster]
Arachnoid, n.
- The arachnoid membrane. [1913 Webster]
- One of the Arachnoidea. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
Arachnoid, n. & adj.
--n. Anat. (in full arachnoid membrane) one of the three membranes (see MENINX) that surround the brain and spinal cord of vertebrates.
--adj. Bot. covered with long cobweb-like hairs.
--n. Anat. (in full arachnoid membrane) one of the three membranes (see MENINX) that surround the brain and spinal cord of vertebrates.
--adj. Bot. covered with long cobweb-like hairs.
Etymology
mod.L arachnoides f. Gk arakhnoeides like a cobweb f. arakhne: see ARACHNID
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