Mantis Definition
măntĭs
mantes, mantises
noun
mantises
Any of an order (Mantodea) of slender, elongated insects that feed on other insects and grasp their prey with stout, spiny forelegs.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
pronoun
Other Word Forms of Mantis
Noun
Singular:
mantis
Plural:
mantes, mantisesOrigin of Mantis
-
Greek seer, praying mantis (from the insect's habit of holding its front legs in a pose resembling that of a seer in prayer, and perhaps also from the fact that its presence or emergence was thought to have divinatory value) men-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
New Latin, from Ancient Greek μάντις (mantis, “soothsayer")
From Wiktionary
Related Articles
Mantis Is Also Mentioned In
Find Similar Words
Find similar words to mantis using the buttons below.