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Glite Dictionary
funnel web

funnel web

1 7.5
A web shaped like a funnel that spiders make to catch insects
  • noun
  • /ˈfʌnəl wɛb/
  • Specialized
translation icon : telaraña en embudo
  • funnel web spider

Examples

  • Notable amongst them is the funnel-web.

    The Evil Within (2017)

  • No, I'm not putting down your black widow spider, but the funnel-web spider can kill a man in eight seconds, just by looking at him.

    Crocodile Dundee (1986)

  • The funnel web is designed to trap insects that wander into its sticky structure.

  • A funnel-web spider waits patiently in the center of its web for unsuspecting prey.

  • You can often find a funnel web tucked away in a garden, where spiders lie in wait.

Synonyms

web
vsfunnel web
71 1.0

A thin, flat part joining other parts, for example a spider's net or skin between toes

is a specific tapered net where a spider waits to catch prey
spiderweb
vsfunnel web
2 1.0

A net of thin sticky threads made by a spider to catch insects

has a tapered hollow shape with a spider waiting at the center to trap prey

Surface Forms

funnel web singular
funnel webs plural

Morphology

funnel + web

The meaning 'a spider web shaped like a funnel' is directly and compositionally derived from 'funnel' (a cone-shaped tube) modifying 'web' (a spider's net). This straightforward noun+noun shape-description pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Funnel web comes from the web's shape: the spider spins a flat surface that leads into a narrow tube or funnel where it hides and waits to catch insects. That's why funnel web means 'a web shaped like a funnel' and is used for the spiders that live in that funnel.