black widow

American  

noun

1. a venomous spider, Latrodectus mactans, widely distributed in the U.S., the female of which is jet-black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen.

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black widow British  

noun

1. an American spider, Latrodectus mactans , the female of which is black with red markings, highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate

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Etymology

Origin of black widow

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

"Did it form by stripping the outside of a star, like 'normal' black widow systems are formed? Probably not, because nuclear physics does not make pure carbon."

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

Hunting at night for crabs and avoiding being bitten by black widow spiders, he tells the cameras: "I'll be slammed for this Phillip Schofield mad rant."

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2024

It’s much more common to find a false black widow indoors, which are from a different genus and are less toxic than black widows, Vetter said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2024

The black widow possesses venom 15 times as powerful as that of a rattlesnake.

From National Geographic • Jul. 13, 2023

I always know when there’s a black widow in the garage because of the web.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman