European wolf spider
- noun
- UK
:
araña lobo europea
- It was once believed that the European wolf spider could cause uncontrollable dancing in those it bit.
Examples
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Legends about the European wolf spider gave rise to the fear of tarantism in medieval Europe.
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A specimen of the European wolf spider was found during a research expedition in southern Italy.
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The European wolf spider is often found in gardens.
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Many people fear the European wolf spider due to its size.
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In southern Europe, the European wolf spider is known for its large size and distinctive appearance.
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Researchers studied the European wolf spider to understand its role in local ecosystems.
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The bite of a European wolf spider was historically linked to episodes of uncontrollable movement in individuals.
Synonyms
A large wolf spider from southern Europe once blamed for causing wild dancing
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'European' (from Europe) modifies 'wolf spider' (a type of spider), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes a kind of spider from Europe. While the historical detail about tarantism is specialized and not predictable from the parts, the basic referential meaning (a species/kind of spider) is directly derivable and cross-linguistically transparent.
Etymology
European wolf spider comes from old stories in southern Europe. One popular story says people believed a bite from this big spider made people have 'tarantism' — wild, uncontrollable dancing — so the image of a hunting, wolf-like spider explains the name and the idea of 'uncontrolled movement'.
