daddy longlegs

noun

dad·​dy long·​legs ˌda-dē-ˈlȯŋ-ˌlegz 

-ˌlāgz

plural daddy longlegs

1

chiefly British : crane fly

2

: any of an order (Opiliones) of arachnids that have slender usually long legs and that resemble spiders but have an oval body lacking a constriction

called also harvestman

Examples of daddy longlegs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The presence of vestigial eyes in daddy longlegs indicates the creatures are roughly 50 million years older than previously thought, according to the paper. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

The team also discovered that another daddy longlegs species, Iporangaia pustulosa, has vestigial eyes as well, but only on the sides of its head. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

What seems to be the entirety of the tent is covered in daddy longlegs crawling across the screen. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2023

These critters come in different shapes and sizes, with limbs of variable lengths (there’s a short, squatty one that can gnaw through wooden doors and a far taller variation that climbs walls and moves like a daddy longlegs). —Peter Debruge, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023

Her Dior tooth accessory, face gems, and glittery skin may not be very spidery, but those super-skinny brows could arguably be a tribute to daddy longlegs. —Marci Robin, Allure, 12 Sep. 2023

Unlike real arachnids, daddy longlegs only have one set of eyes. —Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2017

Don’t kill daddy longlegs. —Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2020

The eye of a daddy longlegs, or harvestman, magnified 20 times. —Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

daddy longlegs

noun

dad·​dy long·​legs ˌdad-ē-ˈlȯŋ-ˌlegz 

1

: crane fly

2

: any of various invertebrates that are arachnids which resemble true spiders but have a small rounded body and very long slender legs

called also harvestman