tarantula Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun large southern European spider once thought to be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily movement)
    European wolf spider; Lycosa tarentula.
  2. noun large hairy tropical spider with fangs that can inflict painful but not highly venomous bites

WordNet

Ta*ran"tu*la noun
Etymology
NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.
Wordforms
plural E Tarantulas L Tarantulæ
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliæ). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. Written also tarentula.

Webster 1913