black widow
12
5.6
- noun
- /blæk ˈwɪdoʊ/
- US
:
viuda negra
- I am afraid of the black widows, but generally leave all spiders alone unless they are in the house.
- black widow spider
- black widow spider bite
- black widow venom
We live in a place where there are black widows.
- We live in a place where there are black widows.
Examples
-
Well, the black widow is back.
Blog text (11) -
The first time was when I was bitten by a black widow spider in my parents' home.
Blog text (27) -
The black widow is still out there!
-
I thought I saw a black widow spider.
Fiction book (1993) -
Everybody knows black widows live all over Colorado.
Fiction book (1993) -
I got bitten by a black widow.
Fiction book (1993) -
Glancing back over his shoulder, he imagined a black widow spider sitting in the center of her web.
Fiction book (2002) -
When I opened the double doors, I had to jump back while a black widow scurried into a dark recess.
Fiction book (1992) -
The severity of the insect bites is minimal except in cases where they are derived from the black widow spider, a scorpion, and other venomous insects.
Blog text (23) -
A black widow spider is easily recognized by the red hourglass marking on its abdomen.
Synonyms
A venomous spider called the black widow with a black body and a red hourglass under its abdomen
How Dangerous
Surface Forms
Morphology
black + widow
The adjective 'black' is transparent as a color, but 'widow' normally denotes a woman whose spouse has died; the leap from those constituents to a specific venomous spider is a metaphorical/cultural naming practice (female associated with killing mates) rather than a literal composition. Because the color component is clear but the referent (a spider) and the metaphorical use of 'widow' are not fully predictable from the parts, many B1 learners who only know the words would not reliably infer the meaning, though speakers of some languages may recognize an equivalent term.
Etymology
Black widow comes from a simple image: the spider is shiny black, and widow may come from an old story that the female sometimes eats the male after they mate, so people thought of the idea of a 'widow'. The bright red hourglass under her belly helps people spot her, so the name now refers to this dangerous spider.