tarantula
/təˈræntjʊlə/noun
1
- a very large hairy spider found chiefly in tropical and subtropical America, some kinds of which are able to catch small lizards, frogs, and birds捕鸟蛛。亦称BIRD-EATING SPIDER.
1.1
- Family Theraphosidae, suborder Mygalomorphae.捕鸟蛛科, 猛蜘亚目。
2
- a large black wolf spider of southern Europe, whose bite was formerly believed to cause tarantism塔兰图拉毒蛛。
2.1
- Lycosa tarentula, family Lycosidae.拉丁名Lycosa tarentula, 狼蛛科。
词源
mid 16th cent.: from medieval Latin， from Old Italian tarantola 'tarantula'， from the name of the seaport TARANTO. Compare with TARANTELLA and TARANTISM.