n.
- an eight-legged predatory arachnid with an unsegmented body consisting of a fused head and thorax and a rounded abdomen, most kinds of which spin webs in which to capture insects.
[Order Araneae.]
▸used in names of other arachnids, e.g. sea spider.
- a long-legged rest for a billiard cue that can be placed over a ball without touching it.
- Brit. a set of radiating elastic ties used to hold a load in place on a vehicle.
- Computing another term for crawler (in sense 2).
v.
- move in a scuttling manner.
- form a pattern suggestive of a spider or its web.
Derivative
Etymology
OE spīthra, from spinnan (see spin).