'Aranea' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arānea', where the root 'arānē-/arāne-' meant 'spider' (ultimately from Greek).

'Aranea' changed from Greek 'aráchnē' (ἀράχνη) into Latin 'arānea', was carried into Medieval Latin, and was later adopted by Linnaeus in the 18th century as a genus name; subsequent taxonomic revisions have largely redistributed the species formerly placed in Aranea.

Initially it meant 'spider' in the literal sense; over time it also became a formal taxonomic genus name and a poetic/historical term in English. The core sense 'spider' has been retained, though modern scientific usage is more specialized.