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tarantula (n.)
1560s, "wolf spider," (Lycos tarantula), from Medieval Latin tarantula, from Italian tarantola, from Taranto "Taranto," seaport city in southern Italy in the region where the spiders are frequently found, from Latin Tarentum, from Greek Taras (genitive Tarantos; perhaps from Illyrian darandos "oak"). Its bite is only slightly venomous. Popularly applied to other great hairy spiders, especially the genus Mygale, native to the warmer regions of the Americas (first so called in 1794).
updated on October 14, 2022
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Dictionary entries near tarantula
taproot
taps
tapster
tar
tarantella
tarantula
tarbrush
tardation
tardigrade
tardy
tare