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arachnid

arachnid

9 6.8
An animal with eight legs like a spider or scorpion
  • noun
  • /əˈræk.nɪd/
translation icon : arácnido
  • Spiders, scorpions, and ticks are all examples of arachnids, which have eight legs.
  • spiders are arachnids
  • Ticks are arachnids
  • arachnids (spiders and scorpions

Examples

  • Arachnids have been roaming the Earth for millions of years.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Arachnids eat by injecting their prey with either a necrotic factor, a neurotoxin, or both.

  • The largest arachnid in Australia!

  • An arachnid is... a spider.

  • This agile arachnid can lay 1,000 eggs at a time and can jump 50 feet into the air!

  • How often does one get bitten by a poisonous arachnid?

    Fiction book (1993)
  • My book on arachnids.

  • The arachnid crawled quickly along the wall, searching for its next meal.

  • Many people are afraid of arachnids like spiders because of their creepy appearance.

Synonyms

arachnoid
vsarachnid
9.6

An animal like a spider with eight legs, not an insect

is a stricter definition stating air breathing and four pairs of legs

How Small

acarid
  • Specialized
9.9
arachnid
9 6.8

Surface Forms

arachnid singular
arachnids plural

Morphology

arachnid = arachn + id

The element 'arachn-' is a non-standalone combining form and '-id' is a technical class-forming suffix, so the parts are not recognizable to an average B1 learner and do not transparently yield the meaning 'spider-like/member of the spider group'.

Etymology

Arachnid comes from the Greek name Arachne, a woman in an old story who was turned into a spider, so arachnid means 'spider-like'. That's why the word is used for animals with eight legs, such as spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks.