Arachne

American

[uh-rak-nee] / əˈræk ni /

noun

Classical Mythology.

a Lydian woman who challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was changed into a spider for her presumption.

Arachne British

/ əˈræknɪ /

noun

Greek myth a maiden changed into a spider for having presumptuously challenged Athena to a weaving contest

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Arachne

from Greek arakhnē spider

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 2010, she was cast in the ill-fated “Spider-Man” as Arachne, a villainous spider, but left during previews after suffering a concussion and then witnessing an actor injured in a fall.

From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2021

The resulting output was then passed through Rebuilder and SquashOverlaps with parameters to merge adjacent assembled alternative haplotypes and subsequently run through another complete Arachne assembly process to finalize the assembly.

From Nature • Jun. 10, 2014

So, really, the climactic battle could only resolve with Arachne allowing Peter to be with Mary Jane, the goddess Athena transforming Arachne into a young woman again, and Arachne ascending into the stars.

From Slate • Nov. 29, 2013

The plan diminished the role of Arachne, a mythical spider woman prominent in Taymor’s vision, and hewed more closely to the plot of “Spider-Man” comic books and films.

From BusinessWeek • Jan. 18, 2012

Arachne was changed into a spider, and her skill in weaving was left to her.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023