tarantula

[tuh-ran-chuh-luh]

noun

plural

tarantulas, tarantulae 

1. any of several large, hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae, as Aphonopelma chalcodes, of the southwestern U.S., having a painful but not highly venomous bite.

2. any of various related spiders.

3. a large wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula, of southern Europe, having a bite once thought to be the cause of tarantism.

tarantula

/ təˈræntjʊlə /

noun

1. any of various large hairy mostly tropical spiders of the American family Theraphosidae

2. a large hairy spider, Lycosa tarentula of S Europe, the bite of which was formerly thought to cause tarantism

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarantula¹

1555–65; < Medieval Latin < Italian tarantola. See Taranto, -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of tarantula¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Old Italian tarantola, from _Taranto

Example Sentences

If you suffer from arachnophobia, this is the time of year when you’re most likely to run into one of your worst nightmares: a tarantula.

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The South Carolina license plate on the Honda stopped in front of me at a red light, and its silhouette of the state’s signature palm looking regrettably like a tarantula atop a swizzle stick.

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You can see more of her work on Instagram @tarantula_garden and on her website kimgaeta.com.

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Only weeks earlier I’d run into a tarantula on the trail’s edge clutching a still-living insect in its long furry arms — several hikers were hovering over it, snapping photos with paparazzi-like fervor.

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Ferguson explained that his original plan to “go as a family of skeletons” was foiled after his elder son changed his mind “a few times,” eventually settling on going as a tarantula.

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