mantis
/ˈmæntɪs/ noun
Forms mantises mantes mantid
- noun Any of various large insects of the order Mantodea that catch insects or other small animals with their powerful forelegs.
- noun (uncountable) A green colour, like that of many mantises.
Synonyms
Etymology
From New Latin mantis, from Ancient Greek μάντις (mántis, “soothsayer”). Distant doublet of mind via Proto-Indo-European *méntis.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any one of numerous species of voracious orthopterous insects of the genus Mantis, and allied genera. They are remarkable for their slender grotesque forms, and for holding their stout anterior legs in a manner suggesting hands folded in prayer. The common American species is M. Carolina. Mantis shrimp. (Zoöl.) See Sguilla.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mantis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details