Agalena

noun

Ag·​a·​le·​na

ˌa-gə-ˈlēnə

: a genus (the type of the family Agalenidae) of spiders that spin concave webs ending in a funnel-shaped tube where the spider hides see grass spider

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin (altered from the original taxon Agelena), from a- a- entry 2 + Greek galḗnē "stillness (of the sea), calm, serenity," going back to *galas-nā, probably (if original sense was "cheerfulness") going back to Indo-European *ǵlh₂-es-, whence, with full grade, Greek gelân "to laugh," gélōs "laughter"

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!