n.
Pronunciation: t ə - ' ran-ch ə -l ə , -t ə -l ə ; - ' ranch-l ə , - ' rant-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ta · ran · tu · las also ta · ran · tu · lae \ - ˌ l ē \
Etymology: Medieval Latin, from Old Italian tarantola, from Taranto
Date: 1561
1 : a European wolf spider ( Lycosa tarentula ) popularly held to be the cause of tarantism
2 : any of a family (Theraphosidae) of large hairy American spiders that are typically rather sluggish and capable of biting sharply though most forms are not significantly poisonous to humans