trap-door spider

American  

noun

1. any of several burrowing spiders, of the family Ctenizidae, that construct a tubular nest with a hinged lid.

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trap-door spider British  

noun

1. any of various spiders of the family Ctenizidae that construct a silk-lined hole in the ground closed by a hinged door of earth and silk

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Etymology

Origin of trap-door spider

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

As one object lesson from the insect world, I will flash upon the screen, for a moment only, the trap-door spider.

From The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals A Book of Personal Observations by Hornaday, William Temple

The Trap-door Spider.—One of the most singular specimens of insect life is the trap-door spider of Jamaica.

From Harper's Young People, December 9, 1879 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

The same book tells why the trap-door spider usually builds on a slope.

From The Adventures of a Grain of Dust by Hawksworth, Hallam

Just what natural enemy the trap-door spider has I do not know.

From Under the Maples by Burroughs, John

He even walked out on the desert a little way that afternoon, with Buddy clinging to his hand to pilot him to the wonderful nest of a trap-door spider.

From Travelers Five Along Life's Highway by Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows)