araneiform
|a-ran-i-form|
🇺🇸
/əˈrænɪfɔrm/
🇬🇧
/əˈrænɪfɔːm/
spider-shaped
Etymology
'araneiform' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aranea', where 'aranea' meant 'spider', combined with Latin 'forma' (via the combining form '-form') meaning 'shape'.
'aranea' (Latin) entered scientific/Neo-Latin usage and was combined with the English combining suffix '-form' to produce the modern technical English term 'araneiform'.
Initially, the root meant 'spider'; over time compounds with '-form' came to mean 'spider-shaped', and the term was later extended to denote spider-like geological patterns (notably on Mars).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a spider-like geological formation (especially used for certain radial channels and pits on Mars).
An araneiform was clearly visible in the high-resolution orbital image.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
resembling or having the shape of a spider; spider-like.
The surface showed araneiform patterns radiating from a central pit.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/01 22:15