tarantula

Thân thiện

A tarantula sits quietly on a large, flat rock in a desert terrarium.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large, hairy tropical spider: A type of large spider, typically covered in hair, found in tropical and subtropical regions. Its fangs can deliver a painful bite, but its venom is generally not considered highly dangerous to humans.
   • A large southern European spider: Historically, this term referred to a wolf spider from Southern Europe. It was once incorrectly believed that its bite caused tarantism, a condition involving hysterical dancing.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The tarantula is a nocturnal hunter. (The large, hairy tropical spider is a nocturnal hunter.)
  • In medieval Italy, the bite of a tarantula was thought to cause a dancing mania. (In medieval Italy, the bite of the southern European spider was thought to cause a dancing mania.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tarantula hawk": A type of large wasp that hunts tarantulas.
  • The tarantula hawk is a parasitoid that uses the spider as a host for its larvae.

Variants and Related Words

• Tarantism (n): A hysterical condition, historically (and incorrectly) attributed to the bite of the European tarantula, characterized by an uncontrollable urge to dance.
  • Tarantism was a cultural phenomenon in parts of Italy.

Synonyms

• Bird spider: Another common name for some large, hairy spiders, particularly in the family Theraphosidae.
• Wolf spider: For the historical European reference, as the original "tarantula" belongs to the wolf spider family (Lycosidae).

Related Phrases

• "Like a tarantula": Used metaphorically to describe something large, hairy, or perceived as creepy.
  • The old, dusty rug in the corner was like a tarantula, making her skin crawl.

Học thuật

Noun

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

Từ đồng nghĩa

• European wolf spider
• Lycosa tarentula