Araneid
/əˈreɪniɪd/noun
A spider belonging to the family Araneidae, which includes many orb-weaving spiders.
Did you know?Araneids include orb-weaving spiders, whose geometric webs inspired ancient associations between spiders, fate, and the spinning of destiny.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀράχνη (aráchnē)
“Spider; the legendary weaver associated with Athena in Greek myth.”
Classical Latin
Latin
arānea
“Spider or spider’s web, the source of later scientific forms.”
Late Latin
Latin
arāneus
“Of or relating to a spider; spider-like.”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Araneidae
“The zoological family name formed from the Latin word for spider.”
19th Century
English
araneid
“A spider of the family Araneidae.”
Modern English
English
araneid
“A member of the orb-weaver spider family, especially a web-building spider.”
Explore more surprising origins