daddy longlegs

Noun
Synonyms: crane flydaddy longlegsharvestmanPhalangium opilio

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

  1. long-legged slender flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not biteSynonyms: crane flydaddy longlegs
  2. spiderlike arachnid with a small rounded body and very long thin legsSynonyms: harvestmandaddy longlegsPhalangium opilio
Advertisement

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Phalangoidea \Phal`an*goi"de*a\, n. pl. [NL., from Phalangium the daddy longlegs (see Phalangious) + Gr. e'i^dos form.] (Zool.) A division of Arachnoidea, including the daddy longlegs or harvestman (Phalangium) and many similar kinds. They have long, slender, many-jointed legs; usually a rounded, segmented abdomen; and chelate jaws. They breathe by trache[ae]. Called also Phalangides, Phalangidea, Phalangiida, and Opilionea. [1913 Webster]
Daddy longlegs \Dad"dy long"legs`\

1.(Zool.) An arachnidan of the genus Phalangium, and allied genera, having a small body and four pairs of long legs; -- called also harvestman, carter, and grandfather longlegs. [1913 Webster]

2.(Zool.) A name applied to many species of dipterous insects of the genus Tipula, and allied genera, with slender bodies, and very long, slender legs; the crane fly; -- called also father longlegs. [1913 Webster]

Advertisement