arachnid C2+ Topic:Animals US /əˈræknɪd/ UK /əˈraknɪd/ See IPA manual 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 AI details 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 External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # 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 markdown