Tarantel

tarantula

noun tah-RAN-tel Rare

Origin: from Italian 'tarantola', named after Taranto

Usage Note

Tarantel originally referred to the wolf spider of southern Italy (Lycosa tarantula), but in modern German it broadly describes large exotic spiders kept as pets (properly called Vogelspinnen). The associated Tarantella dance was said to cure its bite.

Examples

"Die Haltung von Vogelspinnen, umgangssprachlich Taranteln, ist in Deutschland weit verbreitet."

Natural Translation

Keeping bird-eating spiders, colloquially called tarantulas, is widespread in Germany.

Literal Translation

The keeping of bird-spiders, colloquially tarantulas, is in Germany far spread.

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