tarantula
n. countablen. a large, hairy spider that lives in warm climates. It is famous for being one of the biggest spiders in the world, but it is usually not dangerous to humans.
n. a large, hairy spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae, typically found in warm regions. While some species are venomous, they are generally not considered dangerous to humans.
The tarantula crawled slowly across the glass tank.
During our trip to the desert, we saw a giant tarantula hiding under a rock near the campsite.
The researcher carefully documented the tarantula's nocturnal hunting behavior, noting how its thick, velvety hairs helped it sense vibrations in the sand.
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.