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praying mantis

noun
/ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/

Etymology

Mantis from Greek μάντις (mántis). Named "praying mantis" for their stance, with the forelegs held together in a way that resembles a person praying. Similar designations exist in many European as well as non-European languages. Compare for example French mante religieuse (literally “religious mantis”), German Gottesanbeterin (literally “God-worshipper”), Portuguese louva-a-deus (literally “God-praiser”), Persian آخوندک (âxundak, literally “little cleric”).

  1. derived from آخوندک — “little cleric”
  2. derived from louva-a-deus — “God-praiser”
  3. derived from Gottesanbeterin — “God-worshipper”
  4. derived from mante religieuse — “religious mantis”
  5. derived from μάντις

Definitions

  1. Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a…

    Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a prayer-like stance.

  2. A mantid of the species Mantis religiosa.

  3. A woman who preys on men (from the idea that female praying mantises eat males after sex).

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for praying mantis. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA