tarantulas

noun

1. 1.Any of the large, hairy New World spiders comprising the family Theraphosidae.
2. 2.(by extension) 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.
3. 3.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).