Dictionary
ta•ran•tu•la
Pronunciation: (tu-ran'chu-lu), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -las, -laePronunciation: (-lē"). [key]
1. any of several large, hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae, as
Aphonopelma chalcodes, of the southwestern U.S., having a painful but not highly venomous bite.
2. any of various related spiders.
3. a large wolf spider,
Lycosa tarantula, of southern Europe, having a bite once thought to be the cause of tarantism.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.