tarantula

Signification (Anglais)

1. Any of the large, hairy New World spiders comprising the family Theraphosidae.
2. (broadly) A member of certain other groups of spiders, generally characterized by large size, hairiness, or membership of infraorder Mygalomorphae to which Theraphosidae family also belongs.
3. (dated) A species of wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula, native to southern Europe, the mildly poisonous bite of which was once thought to cause an extreme urge to dance (tarantism).

Concepts

tarentule

mygale

grande araignée

tarantule

lycose

Synonymes

European wolf spider

Lycosa tarentula

tarantella

venomous spider

tarentula

Traductions

tarantola

tarántula

Tarantel

tarântula

tarantula

taràntula

Vogelspinne

ταραντούλα

vogelspin

Pamphobetus sp.

ragno grande

große Spinne

Xenes this

Acanthoecurria sp.

Prononcé comme (IPA)

/tə.ˈɹæn.t͡ʃʊ.lə/

Étymologie (Anglais)

Appartenant à grec: Τάραντας

Appartenant à espagnol: tarántula

In summary

From Medieval Latin tarantula, from Old Italian tarantola, from Taranto (“seaport in southern Italy”), from Latin Tarentum (“Latin name of the town”), from Ancient Greek Τάρᾱς (Tárās, “Greek name of the town”), genitive Τᾰ́ρᾰντος; compare Modern Greek Τάραντας (Tárantas) and Tarantino Tarde. probably from Illyrian *darandos (“oak”).
Sense 3 (“Lycosa tarantula”) is the original sense of the word, and refers to the fact that the spider was common in the Apulia region where Taranto is located. Sense 1 (“New World spider in the family Theraphosidae”), the main modern sense of the word, may have been a transferred use of Spanish tarántula (“tarantula (Lycosa tarantula)”) to describe large, hairy spiders found in the New World.