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arachnid

 - 4 dictionary results

a⋅rach⋅nid

[uh-rak-nid]
–noun
1. any wingless, carnivorous arthropod of the class Arachnida, including spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, and daddy-longlegs, having a body divided into two parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen, and having eight appendages and no antennae. Compare insect.
–adjective
2. belonging or pertaining to the arachnids.

Origin:
1865–70; < NL Arachnida < Gk aráchn(ē) spider, spider's web + NL -ida -ida


a⋅rach⋅ni⋅dan [uh-rak-ni-duhn] , adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To arachnid
a·rach·nid   (ə-rāk'nĭd)   
n.  Any of various arthropods of the class Arachnida, such as spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks, characterized by four pairs of segmented legs and a body that is divided into two regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Also called arachnoid.

[From New Latin Arachnida, class name, from Greek arakhnē, spider.]
a·rach'ni·dan (-nĭ-dən) adj. & n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

arachnid 
1869, from Fr. arachnide (1806), introduced as name for this class of arthropods 1815 by Fr. biologist Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de Lamarck (1744-1829), from Gk. arachne "spider," which probably is cognate with L. aranea "spider, spider's web" (from aracsna).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
arachnid   (ə-rāk'nĭd)  Pronunciation Key 
Any of various arthropods of the class Arachnida, such as spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. Arthropods are characterized by four pairs of segmented legs and a body that is divided into two regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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