arachnid

C2+ Topic:Animals

US /əˈræknɪd/ UK /əˈraknɪd/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
an eight-legged invertebrate such as a spider, scorpion, or mite

Unlike insects, an arachnid has eight legs and no antennae.

Thesaurus

Word family

Related forms arachnoidarachnophobia

Etymology

From Ancient Greek arákhnē ('spider'), via the zoological class name Arachnida; in myth Arachne was a weaver transformed into a spider by Athena.

arákhnē Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Animals

# arachnid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** əˈræknɪd
**IPA (UK):** əˈraknɪd

## Meanings
1. an eight-legged invertebrate such as a spider, scorpion, or mite

## Examples
- Unlike insects, an arachnid has eight legs and no antennae.

## Related Forms
- arachnoid
- arachnophobia

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: arákhnē

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek arákhnē ('spider'), via the zoological class name Arachnida; in myth Arachne was a weaver transformed into a spider by Athena.

## AI Etymology
arachnid comes from Ancient Greek arákhnē ('spider'), via the zoological class name Arachnida; in myth Arachne was a weaver transformed into a spider by Athena. The path is chiefly one of transmission: an older form is taken into English, with the word's shape and meaning carried through the language names and forms preserved in the history. In modern use, the noun sense is "an eight-legged invertebrate such as a spider, scorpion, or mite", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as arachnoid, arachnophobia, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Ancient Greek arákhnē, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Animals

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