Arachnotaxis is the use of a table or structured list of URLs for Web sites (or words that hyperlink to Web sites) in order to help locate them. A structured bookmark list or a portal directory (such as the ones at Yahoo.com or SearchServiceWebManagent.com) exemplify arachnotaxis, a term derived from Arachne, the weaver who in Greek legend was turned into a spider, and thence arachnion , a variation that meant the spider's web, and taxis , a Greek word for an orderly or systematic arrangement of items or terms, especially by classification.

As a term, arachnotaxis could be considered a "serious" sniglet (a meaning in search of a term) until such time as its use is more widely adopted. Its inventor, Steve Gruenwald, first used the term in mid-1998, when he was searching for something to describe a taxonomy used to guide users to Web sites. (TechTarget sites use the term taxonomy to describe our categorized lists of Web sites.)

Also see arachniography , an independently-coined synonym.

09 Jun 2010