Hypertext Webster Gateway: "spider"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Spider
The trust of the hypocrite is compared to the spider's web or
house (Job 8:14). It is said of the wicked by Isaiah that they
"weave the spider's web" (59:5), i.e., their works and designs
are, like the spider's web, vain and useless. The Hebrew word
here used is _'akkabish_, "a swift weaver."
In Prov. 30:28 a different Hebrew word (semamith) is used. It
is rendered in the Vulgate by stellio, and in the Revised
Version by "lizard." It may, however, represent the spider, of
which there are, it is said, about seven hundred species in
Palestine.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Spider \Spi"der\, n.[OE. spi[thorn]re, fr. AS. spinnan to spin;
-- so named from spinning its web; cf. D. spin a spider, G.
spinne, Sw. spindel. Seee {Spin}.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of arachnids
comprising the order Araneina. Spiders have the mandibles
converted into poison fangs, or falcers. The abdomen is
large and not segmented, with two or three pairs of
spinnerets near the end, by means of which they spin
threads of silk to form cocoons, or nests, to protect
their eggs and young. Many species spin also complex webs
to entrap the insects upon which they prey. The eyes are
usually eight in number (rarely six), and are situated on
the back of the cephalothorax. See Illust. under
{Araneina}.
Note: Spiders are divided into two principal groups: the
Dipneumona, having two lungs: and the Tetrapneumona,
having four lungs. See {Mygale}. The former group
includes several tribes; as, the jumping spiders (see
{Saltigrad[ae]}), the wolf spiders, or {Citigrad[ae]}
(see under {Wolf}), the crab spiders, or
{Laterigrad[ae]} (see under {Crab}), the garden, or
geometric, spiders, or {Orbitell[ae]} (see under
{Geometrical}, and {Garden}), and others. See {Bird
spider}, under {Bird}, {Grass spider}, under {Grass},
{House spider}, under {House}, {Silk spider}, under
{Silk}.
2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of various other arachnids resembling
the true spiders, especially certain mites, as the red
spider (see under {Red}).
3. An iron pan with a long handle, used as a kitchen utensil
in frying food. Originally, it had long legs, and was used
over coals on the hearth.
4. A trevet to support pans or pots over a fire.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
spider
n 1: predatory arachnid that usually has silk-spinning organs at
the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons
for eggs or traps for prey
2: a skillet made of cast iron
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