Dictionary

praying mantis en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/

Etymology

Mantis from Ancient 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”).

Meanings

1. Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a prayer-like stance.
   • Scientists have discovered that female praying mantises who eat their mates after sex produce a greater number of eggs than those who do not, with the bodies of the ill-fated males used to aid their production. 2016 June 28, Nicola Davis, “Having your partner for dinner? Mantis cannibalism boosts fertility – study”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 07 Mar 2017:
   • When the female praying mantis is mating, she does not bite the head off the male with one swift snip: she chomps into it, like an apple. It appears to have the texture of a honeydew melon. 2021 May 27, Helen Sullivan, “A praying mantis: she bites into her mate’s head like an apple and cleans her face ‘like a cat’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2023:
2. (in Europe, regional) European mantis: a mantid of the species Mantis religiosa.
3. (broadly) A woman who preys on men (from the idea that female praying mantises eat males after sex).

Forms

Hypernyms

mantid · mantis

Translations (99)

sh bogomoljka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · cmn 刀螂 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · hu imádkozó sáska (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · tl sasamba (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ru обыкнове́нный богомо́л (Mantis religiosa) · kgp jókaka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · fi eurooppalainen rukoilijasirkka (Mantis religiosa) · ilo wasaywasay (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · dng хузы (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es tatadiós (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · da knæler (any of various predatory insects of the Mantodea order) · fa آخوندک (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ca pregamans (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ko 사마귀 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ms mentadak (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · pt cavalinho-de-deus (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · tl mandadangkal (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es mantis religiosa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ko 당랑 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ceb simbasimba (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · eu marisorgin (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · bsa tigʷərere (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · be багамо́л (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ceb bayingbaying (any of various predatory insects of the Mantodea order) · he גְּמַל שְׁלֹמֹה (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es mamboretá (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · bg богомо́лка (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · de Fangschrecke (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · mi whē (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · th ตั๊กแตนต่อยมวย (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · nl bidsprinkhaan (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · cmn 螳螂 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ca pregadeu (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · km កណ្ដូបសេះ (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ru богомо́л (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es campamocha (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · fr mante religieuse (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · hy աղոթարար (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ca pregadeu (Mantis religiosa) · tl sambasamba (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ja 蟷螂 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ceb bayingbaying (Mantis religiosa) · sl bogomolka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ar فَرَس اَلنَّبِيّ (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ko 항라사마귀 (Mantis religiosa) · ja 螳螂 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es usamico (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · gl barbantesa (Mantis religiosa) · ro călugăriță (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es triquitesa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · mk богомолка (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · hy հարցուկ (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · lo ແມງມ້າ (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · nl Europese bidsprinkhaan (Mantis religiosa) · cmn 螳螂 (any of various predatory insects of the Mantodea order) · ca mantodeu (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · uk богомо́л (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · tr peygamber devesi (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · pbv chyrtoh (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · el αλογάκι της Παναγίας (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ca mantodeu (any of various predatory insects of the Mantodea order) · sh богомољка (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · br pederez (Mantis religiosa) · fr mante religieuse (Mantis religiosa) · hu ájtatos manó (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · pam kansasamba (Mantis religiosa) · fi rukoilijasirkka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · it mantide religiosa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · sk kudlanka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es santateresa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · sl bogomolka (Mantis religiosa) · cmn 薄翅螳 (Mantis religiosa) · lv dievlūdzējs (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · de Gottesanbeterin (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · th ตั๊กแตนตำข้าว (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · az dəvədəlləyi (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · lt maldininkas (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · tr peygamberdevesi (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · ga maintis chrábhaidh (Mantis religiosa) · es mantis religiosa (Mantis religiosa) · nv Naakaii náázééł (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · cs kudlanka nábožná (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · cs kudlanka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es carpintesa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · sk kudlanka nábožná (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · af hottentotsgod (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · da knæler (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · fi rukoilijasirkka (Mantis religiosa) · ceb bayingbaying (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · pl modliszka (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · sv bönsyrsa (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es mantis (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · de Europäische Gottesanbeterin (Mantis religiosa) · mi rō (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · pt louva-a-deus (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · eo manto (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es cerbatana (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · es rezadora (any of various predatory insects of the Mantidae family) · bg богомолка (Mantis religiosa)