I. ˈspīdə(r) noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English spyder, alteration of spithre; akin to Old English spinnan to spin — more at spin
1.
a. : an animal of the order Araneida
b. : any of various other arthropods (as a pycnogonid) especially of the class Arachnida that resemble the true spiders — usually used with a qualifying term; see red spider
2. : one felt to resemble a spider (as in appearance or in scheming)
3. : a cast-iron frying pan originally made with short feet to stand among coals on the hearth
4. : a metal outrigger to keep a block clear (as of the mast)
5. : a contrivance consisting of a frame or skeleton having radiating arms or members: as
a. : a frame for strengthening a core or mold in founding
b. : a casting forming the hub and spokes to which the rim of a wheel or pulley is secured
c. : the body or solid hub of a built-up piston
d. : a machine element consisting of a ring with projections outward
e. : a hub with radiating arms interposed between the shaft and the core of a dynamo or motor armature
6.
a. : spider cart
b. : spider phaeton
7. : spider nevus
8. : set gage
9. : an obstruction in the teat of a cow ; especially : a small irregular horny growth following bruises or other irritation
10. often capitalized : a solitaire or patience game played with two packs of cards dealt in a row of ten piles among which the cards are shifted to assemble them in complete suits
11. : the part of a dynamic loudspeaker that properly positions the voice coil relative to the magnet and that usually consists of a flexible fiber ring
12. : a frame on an explosive mine that when pressed detonates the mine
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to crack or shatter in a radiating pattern of thin lines
the wall was … spidered with cracks — A.R.Foff