Meaning

noun spiderlike arachnid with a small rounded body and very long thin legs

originFrom harvest + -man. (sense 2): There are various hypotheses and folk etymologies for why the arachnids are called harvestmen, but the most likely explanation is the shape of their legs, which resemble sickles or scythes. More information The association with harvesting or haymaking is found across Europe; compare words for “harvest spider” in other languages: Dutch hooiwagen (literally…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0