mantis

man·tis  (mnts)

n. pl. man·tis·es or man·tes (-tz)

Any of various predatory insects of the family Mantidae, primarily tropical but including a few Temperate Zone species, usually pale green and having two pairs of walking legs and powerful grasping forelimbs. The mantis feeds on live insects, including others of its own kind. Also called mantid.

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[Greek, seer; see men-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

Word History: Although the female mantis has the habit of eating the male after mating, its name suggests a more benign activity. Mantis is from the Greek word mantis, meaning "prophet, seer." The Greeks, who made the connection between the upraised front legs of a mantis waiting for its prey and the hands of a prophet in prayer, used the name mantis to mean "the praying mantis." This word and sense were picked up in Modern Latin and from there came into English, being first recorded in 1658. Once we know the origin of the term mantis, we realize that the species names praying mantis and Mantis religiosa are a bit redundant.

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mantis

Noun

pl -tises or -tes a carnivorous insect resembling a grasshopper, that rests with the first pair of legs raised as if in prayer Also: (praying mantis) [Greek: prophet]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mantis - predacious long-bodied large-eyed insect of warm regions; rests with forelimbs raised as in prayer mantid dictyopterous insect - cockroaches and mantids genus Mantis - type genus of the Mantidae: mantises Mantis religioso, praying mantid, praying mantis - the common mantis