Spiders are a diverse group of arthropods common worldwide. Distinctive spider traits include the ability and propensity to spin webs, their eight-legged insectile body structure, and fanged chelicerae. Spiders are extremely symbolic, and may be used to indicate patience, perseverance, hard work and craft. Their inimical appearance and predatory nature also gives them common associations with fear, malice, poison, manipulation and traps. Part of the spider's disturbing connotations no doubt arise from its preferred method of feeding - capturing live prey, either from stealth or in a trap, and rendering it helpless before the spider begins to feed.
A group of spiders is a clutter or cluster. Young spiders are spiderlings.
Synonyms
Attercop - a spider, particularly a poisonous one (see Cob, below).
Arachnid - generally refers to a spider, though also to scorpions, mites and other members of class Arachnida.
Aranea - more formal term for a spider; correctly indicates a spider with diagonal, pinching chelicerae, and commonly a web-spinning spider.
Chelicerid - refers to a spider which relies on powerful fangs to take prey, rather than webspinning; more generally, to any member of sybphylum Chelicerata.
Cob - usually a small, fat, ordinary web spider, especially one at rest in its web.
Lob - a web spider.
Mygale or Mygalo - large, stout spiders, especially tarantulas and similar spiders.
Homonyms
Spider (verb) - to form a thin, weblike pattern (cracks, lace etc).
Related Concepts
Anansi
Arachne
Drow
Ettercap
Jorogumo
Neith
Tsuchigumo
Web
Word Roots
Arachno- is a Greek-derived prefix meaning spider.