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αράχνη
spider /aˈraxni/
nounC1#3337 most common
Also: cobweb (colloquial, short for spider's web)
Example sentences
Η αράχνη είναι μικρή.
The spider is small.
Είδα μια αράχνη στο μπάνιο.
I saw a spider in the bathroom.
Η αράχνη έφτιαξε έναν ιστό στη γωνία του δωματίου.
The spider built a web in the corner of the room.
Φοβάμαι τις αράχνες περισσότερο από κάθε άλλο έντομο, αν και τεχνικά δεν είναι έντομα.
I am more afraid of spiders than of any other insect, even though they are not technically insects.
Ο μύθος λέει ότι η Αράχνη μεταμορφώθηκε σε αράχνη επειδή τόλμησε να αμφισβητήσει την Αθηνά.
The myth says that Arachne was turned into a spider because she dared to challenge Athena.
Η υπομονή της αράχνης, που υφαίνει τον ιστό της νύχτα με τη νύχτα χωρίς να αποθαρρύνεται από τις καταστροφές του, αποτελεί σύμβολο επιμονής σε πολλούς πολιτισμούς.
The spider's patience, weaving its web night after night without being discouraged by its destruction, stands as a symbol of persistence in many cultures.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | η αράχνη | οι αράχνες |
| Genitive | της αράχνης | των αραχνών |
| Accusative | την αράχνη | τις αράχνες |
| Vocative | αράχνη | αράχνες |
Word family
αραχνιάcobweb, spider's web
αραχνοειδήςarachnoid, spider-like (used in anatomy)
αραχνοφοβίαarachnophobia, fear of spiders
αραχνούφαντοςspider-spun, gossamer-thin (literary)
Etymology
The word comes from Ancient Greek ἀράχνη (arákhnē), meaning spider. Its origin before Greek is not settled. Some linguists treat it as a word Greek borrowed from a pre-Greek Aegean language rather than one inherited from Indo-European. The Greek myth of the weaver Arachne, turned into a spider by Athena, is a later story built on this existing word, not its source.
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