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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