praying mantis

noun

Meaning

Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a prayer-like stance.
(in Europe) A mantid of the species Mantis religiosa.
A woman who preys on men (from the idea that female praying mantises eat males after sex).

Etymology / origin

No prose etymology has been added yet.

No ancestor words have been linked yet.

Related words

praying mantid(English)mantis religioso(English)mantisfly(English)flower mantis(English)mantis(English)mantispid(English)preying mantis(English)mantid(English)

Descendant words

No descendant words have been linked yet.

Sources

DictionaryAPI.dev English dictionary data

praying mantis — meaning and etymology | WikiWord