spider

  • noun 1 an eight-legged predatory arachnid with an unsegmented body consisting of a fused head and thorax and a rounded abdomen, most kinds of which spin webs in which to capture insects. 2 Billiards & Snooker a long-legged rest for a cue that can be placed over a ball without touching it.

  • verb 1 move in a scuttling manner suggestive of a spider. 2 form a pattern suggestive of a spider or its web.

  — ORIGIN Old English, from a word meaning ‘to spin’.

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