mantis
28
6.1
- noun
- /ˈmæntɪs/
:
mantis religiosa
- I saw a green mantis on the garden wall, its eyes scanning for insects.
- the praying mantis
- mantis shrimp
Yeah, well, this praying mantis, I think I got it.
- Yeah, well, this praying mantis, I think I got it.
- So I think the next logical choice for me is, wow, a mantis, a praying mantis.
- So in in most species that's an option, unless you're a praying mantis or a spider or something.
Examples
-
On the TV, a praying mantis swallows a bug.
Fiction book (1994) -
You know what a praying mantis is?
-
To live and breed, the mantis has to kill the fly.
-
Praying mantis always drop to one knee before strike.
-
Although fierce-looking, the mantis is one of the best insects to have in your garden.
Academic text (1998) -
When the mantis spies a potential meal, it will become very still, watching the movement of the prey.
Academic text (1998) -
And the praying mantis has just one hearing organ, which sits smack in the midline of its thorax.
-
The praying mantis waits patiently for its prey to come close.
-
The mantis uses its sharp front legs to capture unsuspecting flies.
Synonyms
10
3.2
A large insect with front legs folded like praying hands that eats other insects
1
9.6
An insect with a long body, big eyes, and front legs held like praying hands
A large thin insect that eats other insects with front legs bent like folded hands
Compounds
10
3.2
A large insect with front legs folded like praying hands that eats other insects
A tropical sea animal like a crab that lives in burrows and uses large front claws to catch prey
- Specialized
A green insect with folded front legs that look like someone praying
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mantis comes from an old Greek word mantis meaning 'seer' or 'prophet', because people thought the insect's raised front legs looked like someone praying or watching the future. That's why a mantis is the insect that seems to 'pray' while it waits to catch its prey.