arachnid
UK[əˈræknɪd]US[əˈræknɪd]
n
any of a class (arachnida) of arthropods comprising chiefly terrestrial invertebrates, including the spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks, and having a segmented body divided into two regions of which the front part bears four pairs of legs but no antennae.
Morpheme Breakdown
arachn
id
arachn
spider
id
noun suffix, member of a group
Etymology
the word 'arachnid' is a modern scientific term coined from classical roots. it derives from the greek myth of arachne, a skilled weaver who was transformed into a spider by the goddess athena, making 'aráchnē' the greek word for spider. the latin suffix '-id' is used in zoological taxonomy to denote 'belonging to a family or class'. thus, the term literally means 'a member of the spider class', logically extending from the specific spider to the broader zoological class that shares its key characteristics.
Analysis
Structure: arachn (spider) + id (noun suffix, member of a group)
arachn (from greek 'aráchnē', meaning spider). id (from latin '-id-, -is', a suffix forming nouns, often indicating a member of a zoological family or class).
Examples
spiders, scorpions, and ticks are all classified as arachnids.
unlike insects, an arachnid has eight legs.
the study of arachnids is called arachnology.