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brown recluse spider

American  

noun

  1. a small, pale-brown, venomous North American spider, Loxosceles reclusa, distinguished by a violin-shaped marking near the head, found outdoors in rock niches or indoors in drawers or dark corners: its bite may cause deep skin ulcers that are occasionally fatal.

Etymology

Origin of brown recluse spider

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

The former "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star revealed this week the "excruciating pain" he was in after getting bit by a brown recluse spider in bed at home in Reading, Pennsylvania.

From Fox News • Nov. 27, 2021

In my case: I really was bitten by a brown recluse spider.

From Washington Post • Sep. 8, 2016

However, the brown recluse spider is considered a medically important spider because of its toxic venom.

From New York Times • May 29, 2012

Ironically it’s the brown recluse spider that’s aggressive and will go after you.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.