Spider
nounA small eight-legged arachnid, many species of which spin silk webs to catch prey.
How to spell spider
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce spider
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does spider mean?
- nounA small eight-legged arachnid, many species of which spin silk webs to catch prey.
Spider in a sentence
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A large spider had spun its web across the garden shed.
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She gently moved the spider outside rather than killing it.
Where does spider come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This word descends from Old English, where forms such as 'spiþra' named the small eight-legged creature, and it traces back to the same Germanic root that gives us the verb 'to spin'. The literal idea was 'the spinner', a fitting name for an animal that spins thread to build its web. Over the centuries the spelling settled into 'spider', losing the older medial sounds while keeping the link to spinning hidden inside it. Close relatives survive in other Germanic languages, such as the Dutch 'spin' and German 'Spinne', both still plainly tied to spinning. The everyday spelling is regular and rarely trips adults, but it is worth remembering the family tie between the spider and the act of spinning.
How the word is built
- spid- (from spinnan: to spin)
- -er (agent suffix: one who does)
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