noun pl. tarantulas -·las or tarantulae -·lae′ (-lē′)

1. a wolf spider (Lycosa tarentula) of S Europe, whose bite was popularly but wrongly supposed to cause tarantism
2. any of numerous large, hairy spiders with a poisonous bite that usually has little effect on warmblooded animals; specif., any of a family (Theraphosidae) found in the SW U.S. and tropical America

Etymology: ML < It tarantola < Taranto, near which the wolf spider was found