tarantula

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ta=ran=tu=la

CIDE DICTIONARY

tarantula, n. [NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.].

 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.  [1913 Webster]

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.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tarantula, n.
1 any large hairy tropical spider of the family Theraphosidae.
2 a large black S. European spider, Lycosa tarentula, whose bite was formerly held to cause tarantism.

Etymology

med.L f. It. tarantola (as TARANTISM)

THESAURUS

tarantula

arachnid, arthropod, beetle, bug, caterpillar, centipede, chilopod, daddy longlegs, diplopod, fly, harvestman, hexapod, insect, larva, maggot, millepede, millipede, mite, nymph, scorpion, spider, tick