spider

[ spahy-der ]

noun

1. any of numerous predaceous arachnids of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs that serve as nests and as traps for prey.
2. (loosely) any of various other arachnids resembling or suggesting these.
3. any of various things resembling or suggesting a spider.
4. a frying pan, originally one with legs or feet.
5. a trivet or tripod, as for supporting a pot or pan on a hearth.
6. Machinery.
   1. a part having a number of radiating spokes or arms, usually not connected at their outer ends.
   2. Also called cross. (in a universal joint) a crosslike part pivoted between the forked ends of two shafts to transmit motion between them.
7. Digital Technology. a computer program that follows and catalogs links within websites in order to index web pages for a search engine. Compare web crawler.
8. an evil person who entraps or lures others by wiles.
9. a device attached to a cultivator, for pulverizing the soil.

verb (used with object)

1. Digital Technology. to digitally survey (websites), following and cataloging their links in order to index web pages for a search engine: Compare crawl ¹( def 9 ).

   Her company spiders the web for cheap flights and vacation deals.

spider

/ ˈspaɪdə /

noun

1. any predatory silk-producing arachnid of the order Araneae, having four pairs of legs and a rounded unsegmented body consisting of abdomen and cephalothorax See also wolf spider trap-door spider tarantula black widow
2. any of various similar or related arachnids
3. a hub fitted with radiating spokes or arms that serve to transmit power or support a load
4. agriculture an instrument used with a cultivator to pulverize soil
5. any implement or tool having the shape of a spider
6. nautical a metal frame fitted at the base of a mast to which halyards are tied when not in use
7. any part of a machine having a number of radiating spokes, tines, or arms
8. Also calledoctopus a cluster of elastic straps fastened at a central point and used to hold a load on a car rack, motorcycle, etc
9. billiards snooker a rest having long legs, used to raise the cue above the level of the height of the ball
10. angling an artificial fly tied with a hackle and no wings, perhaps originally thought to imitate a spider
11. computing a computer program that is capable of performing sophisticated recursive searches on the internet
12. short for spider phaeton

Other Words From

• spider·less adjective
• spider·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spider¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spithre, Old English spīthra, akin to spinnan “to spin”; cognate with Danish spinder. See spin

Word History and Origins

Origin of spider¹

Old English spīthra; related to Danish spinder, German Spinne; see spin

Example Sentences

Tom Francis plays Joe Gillis, the down-on-his-luck screenwriter, who gets caught in the web of Norma Desmond’s spider lair on Sunset Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times

We float around the room like an invisible spider, circling and weaving this trio into a diabolical web.

From Los Angeles Times

Take the jumping spider Evarcha culicivora, which does not directly feed on blood.

From Salon

The spider has developed a special sense that allows it to detect blood and will choose small, blood-filled mosquitoes over larger ones that don't contain the red stuff.

From Salon

The songwriter and super-producer worked on ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ songs before going on to produce the movie’s soundtrack — along with a cameo role voicing his own character, the Metro Spider.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• termite
• tick