Defn: Same as Spicule.
SPICY
Spi"cy, a. [Compar. Spicier; superl. Spiciest.] Etym: [From Spice.]
1. Flavored with, or containing, spice or spices; fragrant; aromatic; as, spicy breezes. "The spicy nut-brown ale." Milton. Led by new stars, and borne by spicy gales. Pope.
2. Producing, or abounding with, spices. In hot Ceylon spicy forests grew. Dryden.
3. Fig.: Piquant; racy; as, a spicy debate.
Syn.
— Aromatic; fragrant; smart; pungent; pointed; keen. See Racy.
SPIDER
Spi"der, n.Etym: [OE. spi, fr. AS. spinnan to spin; — so named from
spinning its web; cf. D. spin a spider, G. spinne, Sw. spindel. Seee
Spin.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: 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 Saltigradæ), the wolf spiders, or Citigradæ (see under Wolf), the crab spiders, or Laterigradæ (see under Crab), the garden, or geometric, spiders, or Orbitellæ (see under Geometrical, and Garden), and others. See Bird spider, under Bird, Grass spider, under Grass, House spider, under House, Silk spider, under Silk.