See Also: tarantula(medicine)
tarantula(dictionary)
tarantula(encyclopedia)
tarantula(dictionary)
American tarantula(medicine)
European tarantula(medicine)
Peruvian tarantula(medicine)
black tarantula(medicine)

tarantula (iou)



tarantula noun. M16.
[medieval Latin from Old Italian tarantola, from Taranto: see TARANTELLA.]
A large black wolf-spider of southern Europe, Lycosa tarentula, whose slightly poisonous bite was formerly supposed to cause tarantism. M16.
b. Any of various large, hairy, or poisonous spiders; spec. (orig. US) any large hairy tropical mygalomorph spider of the family Theraphosidae; Austral. a huntsman spider. L18.
The bite of the tarantula. Also = TARANTISM. Now rare or obsolete. L16.
[By confusion.] = TARANTELLA 1. rare. L17.
Comb.: tarantula-hawk any of several spider-hunting (pompilid) wasps of the genus Pepsis, of the SW United States; tarantula-juice US slang inferior whiskey.
tarantular adjective = tarantulous M19.
tarantulate verb (a) verb intrans. dance as if affected by tarantism; (b) verb trans. affect with tarantism: M18.
tarantulous adjective of or pertaining to the tarantula (chiefly fig. with ref. to tarantism) L19.