tarantula

noun3

1. •
   Any of the large, hairy New World spiders comprising the family Theraphosidae.

   • Cockroaches, centipedes, tarantulas, scorpions, and mosquitoes are abundant in summer. [...] Tarantulas and scorpions are little noticed by those who have been there any length of time. — 1857
2. •
   A member of certain other groups of spiders, generally characterized by large size, hairiness, or membership of infraorder Mygalomorphae to which Theraphosidae family also belongs.

   • The small funnel-web tarantulas are sedentary but notable for their aggressiveness and the strong action of their venom on human beings. A. robustus and formidabilis have caused human deaths. — 1971
3. •
   (old-fashioned) A species of wolf spider, Lycosa tarantula, native to southern Europe, the mildly poisonous bite of which was once thought to cause an extreme urge to dance (tarantism).

   • [I]t is better to be pained with the sting of a Snake, and recouer, then be tickled with the venime of Tarantula and dye laughing: [...] — 1588