tarantula

American  

[tuh-ran-chuh-luh] / təˈræn tʃə lə /

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.

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tarantula British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of tarantula

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

Compare meaning

How does tarantula compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• wolf spider vs. tarantula

Example Sentences

She was particularly taken with a blue tarantula puppet and was encouraged by staff to share her journey through the space with her puppet friend.

From Los Angeles Times

That included live snakes, tarantulas and lovebirds found hidden in vehicles stopped at the UK border.

From BBC

"In total, 472 exotic animals have been seized, including leopard tortoises, spurred tortoises, Mediterranean tortoises, iguanas, geckos of different varieties, tarantulas and Nile monitor lizards, among others," said a Civil Guard statement.

From Barron's

In contrast, some parts of the tarantula feel almost like sable fur.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times