English

A daddy longlegs (cranefly)

A daddy longlegs (harvestman)

A daddy long-legs spider

Alternative forms

• daddy-longlegs, daddy-long-legs

Noun

daddy longlegs ‎(plural daddy longlegs or daddy longlegses)

1. (Britain, Ireland) The cranefly; any insect of the suborder Tipulomorpha.
   • 2004, Bill Hansford-Steele, African Fly-fishing Handbook, page 316,

     Daddy longlegs adults are weak flyers, falling onto the water surface in the lightest of breezes, and even on calm days.

2. (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, US) Any (non-spider) arachnid of the order Opiliones, mostly with long thin legs; the harvestman.
   • 2002, Maurice Burton, Robert Burton, The International Wildlife Encyclopedia, Volume 10, page 636,

     Unlike spiders, daddy longlegs do not have a clearly marked division between thorax and abdomen. They are further distinguished from spiders in that they do not produce venom or silk.

   • 2004, Clay Thompson, Marshall Trimble, The Valley 101 Great Big Book of Life, page 33,

     Daddy longlegs aren′t even really spiders.

3. (loosely) The daddy long-legs spider, any spider of the family Pholcidae.
   • 2010, Lou Bensinger, Tiny Invaders in Your Home, page 10,

     Another spider neighbor that is commonly found in homes is the daddy longlegs. The daddy longlegs is often called a cellar spider.

Synonyms

• (insect of suborder Tipulomorpha): cranefly, tipulid
• (arachnid of order Opiliones): harvestman
• (spider of family Pholcidae): cellar spider

Usage notes

Some confusion exists because of the use of (almost) the same term for an insect, a non-spider arachnid and a spider. This is partly alleviated by some authors by reserving the term daddy long-legs spider for the spider alone.

Translations