black widow

noun

1. a venomous spider, Latrodectus mactans, widely distributed in the U.S., the female of which is jet-black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen.

black widow

noun

1. an American spider, Latrodectus mactans , the female of which is black with red markings, highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate

Word History and Origins

Origin of black widow¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

She returned home to lurid media headlines such as “The Macabre Truth Behind Mukesh’s Suicide” and “The Black Widow”.

From BBC

Hunting at night for crabs and avoiding being bitten by black widow spiders, he tells the cameras: "I'll be slammed for this Phillip Schofield mad rant."

From BBC

That also helps you to avoid other venomous animals that live in the park, including scorpions and black widow spiders.

From Los Angeles Times

But she didn’t give the villain, known as the Black Widow, much weight.

From Los Angeles Times

Both have hourglass markings, but the black widow’s is bright red, while the brown widow’s is orange.

From Los Angeles Times