TARANTULA : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: TARANTULA	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for TARANTULA
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
tarantula n large southern European spider once thought to be the cause of tarantism (uncontrollable bodily movement) Synonym(s): European wolf spider, tarantula, Lycosa tarentula large hairy tropical spider with fangs that can inflict painful but not highly venomous bites
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Tarantula \Taran"tula\, n.; pl. E. {Tarantulas}, L. {Tarantul[91]}. [NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.] (Zo[94]l.) Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species ({Tarantula apuli[91]}). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. [Written also {tarentula}.] {Tarantula killer}, a very large wasp ({Pompilus formosus}), which captures the Texan tarantula ({Mygale Hentzii}) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting.