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spider

n. · v.
US //ˈspaɪdɝ// UK //spˈaɪdɐ// spi·der
  1. 1 eight-legged creature (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a small creature with eight legs that often spins a web to catch insects for food.

    an eight-legged predatory arthropod of the order Araneae, typically characterised by the ability to silk-spin webs.

    Example

    A large spider had built a beautiful web across the garden gate overnight.

    Example

    While most people fear the common house spider, these creatures play a vital role in controlling the local insect population.
    • arachnid
  2. 2 internet program (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    a computer program that automatically visits websites to collect information for search engines.

    an automated script or program designed to methodically browse the World Wide Web for the purpose of web indexing.

    Example

    Search engines use a spider to find new pages and add them to their results.

    Example

    The site's traffic spiked as a search engine spider began crawling the newly uploaded archives to index the content.
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  1. 3 billiards/snooker tool (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Sport

    a long stick with a metal head used to support your cue when the ball is hard to reach.

    a cue rest with a high, arch-shaped head used to bridge over an obstructing ball.

    Example

    He had to use the spider to reach the cue ball at the far end of the table.

    Example

    The player carefully positioned the spider to clear the intervening red ball, ensuring a stable bridge for the difficult long-range shot.
  2. 4 cooking tool (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Cooking

    a kitchen tool with a long handle and a wire mesh basket used to lift food out of hot oil or water.

    a long-handled skimmer with a wire mesh basket, used in deep-frying or boiling to retrieve food items.

    Example

    Use the spider to carefully lift the fried dumplings out of the hot oil.

    Example

    The chef employed a stainless steel spider to scoop the blanched vegetables from the boiling water, allowing them to drain instantly.
    • skimmer
    • strainer
  3. 5 ice cream drink (n.)
    B1 Intermediate American English Dialect

    a drink made by putting a scoop of ice cream into a glass of fizzy soda.

    a beverage consisting of a scoop of ice cream served in a glass of carbonated soft drink.

    Example

    On a hot afternoon, nothing is better than a lime soda spider with vanilla ice cream.

    Example

    The children ordered chocolate spiders at the diner, watching with delight as the soda foamed over the rim of the glasses.
  4. 6 to spread or crawl (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    to move or spread out in many directions like the legs of a spider.

    to move or extend in a pattern resembling the radiating legs of a spider or a web.

    Example

    Cracks began to spider across the old windshield after the rock hit it.

    Example

    Fine lines of frost began to spider across the windowpane as the temperature dropped well below freezing.
Origin

From Middle English spiþre, spydyr, spider, spiþer, from Old English spīþra (“spider”), from Proto-West Germanic spinþrijō, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną (“to spin”). Mostly displaced attercop (“spider, unpleasant person”), now a dialectal term. Compare typologically Proto-Slavic *mězgyrь (whence Russian мизги́рь (mizgírʹ)) (akin to Latvian mežģīt), Turkish örümcek (akin to örmek).

Word family

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