hunting spider

6.4

A spider that hunts and catches insects instead of making a web

noun

: araña cazadora

The hunting spider relies on its speed and agility to chase down its prey.

Examples

Unlike web-making spiders, the hunting spider roams the ground in search of insects.
As the hunting spider darted through the grass, it spotted a fly and pounced.
Many people are surprised to learn that a hunting spider does not build a web at all.
The hunting spider moved swiftly across the forest floor.
Did you see that hunting spider catch its prey?
A hunting spider can quickly capture its prey without using a web.
The hunting spider stalks its food rather than waiting for it to get caught in a trap.

Surface Forms

hunting spider singular

hunting spiders plural

Morphology

hunt + spider

This noun phrase is compositionally built from the participle 'hunting' (from 'hunt') modifying 'spider', so a learner who knows both words will infer it means a spider that actively hunts prey rather than using a web. The structure (present-participial modifier + noun) is a common, transparent pattern cross-linguistically, so the meaning is readily derivable by a B1 learner.

Etymology

Hunting spider is a name from a simple picture: a hunting spider runs across the ground to chase and grab insects instead of making a web. So the name now means a spider that 'does not build a web' but hunts for food.