Eddercap

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large spider or a monstrous creature associated with arachnids in folklore
2. a term used to describe a specific type of mythical creature, often depicted as having a terrifying appearance
3. referring to a fabulous beast commonly found in tales of old, symbolizing the eerie aspects of nature

Etymology: In the north of England and in Scotland, a spider was once called an "attercop," and this word is its close relative. The first part, "atter," comes from an Old English word meaning "poison," the same root that gave us "adder," the venomous snake. The second part is less certain. It may be related to "coppe," an old word for spider, or to "cop," meaning a head or top. Either way, the compound describes a creature whose bite was feared as venomous. "Eddercap" is a later dialect form in which "edder," a variant of "adder," has replaced the older "atter," probably through folk association with the snake. The name grew so strongly tied to spiders that in some regions it came to mean a huge or monstrous one, which explains the folklore sense. Attested forms appear in Middle English, and the dialect versions survived in rural speech long after the standard word for spider had settled as "spider."