"Spider thread" in Portuguese

Question

What would you call a spider thread in Portuguese?

I know that spider web is teia de aranha.

Could it be fio de aranha?

Thank you.

Answer 1

I'm not an entomologist and this how I would phrase it, in general, as a layman:

I'd call both of them "teia de aranha" (or simply "teia"), with a small difference between them. A spider web, in the singular, is more likely to be preceded by a determiner and I therefore would say "(uma/aquela/essa/esta) teia de aranha". Then again, for "spider thread/silk" I wouldn't use the preceding determiner at all and would say "teia de aranha".

e.g.

• "Olha ali, uma teia de aranha."
• "Vê só o tamanho daquela teia."
• "O local estava cheio de teias de aranha" (plural)

compare with:

• (a) "O que é isso no teu braço?" (b) "Ah, é teia de aranha."
• "Esse fio que grudou no meu rosto parece teia de aranha."

A detailist, however, would make it a point to say "um fio de teia de aranha".

Answer 2

I'm Brazilian and I always say "teia de aranha" for spider thread and spider web.

"Fio de aranha" or "Fio de teia de aranha" or "seda de aranha" aren't wrong, but are not as common.