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black widow

noun
|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of black widow

: a venomous New World spider (Latrodectus mactans of the family Theridiidae) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen; broadly : any of various related venomous spiders that have a large globular, usually glossy, dark abdomen often marked with red and long and wiry legs

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Recent Examples of black widow from the Web

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Illustration of black widow

illustration of black widow

First Known Use of black widow

1830

in the meaning defined above

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BLACK WIDOW Defined for English Language Learners

black widow

noun

Definition of black widow for English Language Learners

  • : a poisonous American spider

BLACK WIDOW Defined for Kids

black widow

noun

Definition of black widow for Students

: a poisonous spider the female of which is black with a red mark shaped like an hourglass on the underside of the abdomen

Medical Dictionary

black widow

noun black wid·ow \ -ˈwid-ˌō \

medical Definition of black widow

: a venomous New World spider of the genus Latrodectus (L. mactans) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen; broadly : any other spider of the genus Latrodectus

Learn More about black widow

  1. See words that rhyme with black widow Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about black widow

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black widow

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