tarantula
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.
any of various related spiders.
a large wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula, of southern Europe, having a bite once thought to be the cause of tarantism.
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Origin of tarantula
1Words that may be confused with tarantula
- tarantella, tarantula
Words Nearby tarantula
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tarantula in a sentence
It’s the first time in 104 years that anyone has turned up a new genus of tarantula in Asia, the researchers say.
This newfound tarantula is the first known to make its home in bamboo | Becki Robins | March 7, 2022 | Science NewsDifferent types of tarantulas have clear differences in the size and shape of those organs.
Newfound ‘bambootula’ spider lives inside bamboo stems | Becki Robins | March 4, 2022 | Science News For StudentsThis massive group of tube-like creatures is known for mooching off plants, insects, and humans—but not so much tarantulas.
What do you call a tiny tarantula killer? Jeff Daniels. | Purbita Saha | January 26, 2022 | Popular-ScienceBecause the spiders have learned not to eat these species, those lucky frogs have learned that hanging out around tarantulas is safe.
Why some tiny frogs have tarantulas as bodyguards | PopSci Staff | January 19, 2022 | Popular-Science“Often a tarantula tries to catch the snake by the head and will hold on in spite of all efforts of the snake to shake him off,” says Nyffeler.
Spiders can take down and feast on surprisingly big snakes | Asher Jones | July 26, 2021 | Science News For Students
The tarantula, like many other members of the spider family, is an expert in the making of burrows.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | VariousThe tarantula is in her own house, with all its conveniences; every nook and corner of the bastion is familiar to her.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri FabreThe natives of the island hold the old tradition of the ancients, that one bitten by a tarantula will dance himself to death.
Have you ever seen, by-the-bye, that extraordinary Highland tarantula called the reel of Tullich?
The tarantula spider is a relation of the six-footed farmers, you should know, although he is not an insect himself.
The Adventures of a Grain of Dust | Hallam Hawksworth
British Dictionary definitions for tarantula
/ (təˈræntjʊlə) /
any of various large hairy mostly tropical spiders of the American family Theraphosidae
a large hairy spider, Lycosa tarentula of S Europe, the bite of which was formerly thought to cause tarantism
Origin of tarantula
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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