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Webster 1913 Edition
Tarantula
Ta-ran′tu-la
,Noun.
pl. E.
Tarantulas
(#)
, L. Tarantulae
(#)
. [NL., fr. It.
tarantola
, fr. L. Tarentum
, now Taranto
, in the south of Italy.] (Zool.)
Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (
Tarantula apuliae
). 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.Webster 1828 Edition
Tarantula
TARAN'TULA
,Noun.
