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mantis
- 6 dictionary resultsman⋅tis
[man-tis] 
tɪs
–noun, plural -tis⋅es, -tes [-teez] .
[-teez] . | any of several predaceous insects of the order Mantidae, having a long prothorax and typically holding the forelegs in an upraised position as if in prayer. |
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| man·tis (mān'tĭs) n. pl. man·tis·es or man·tes (-tēz) 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. [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. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Mantis
Man"tis\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a prophet.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of voracious orthopterous insects of the genus Mantis, and allied genera. They are remarkable for their slender grotesque forms, and for holding their stout anterior legs in a manner suggesting hands folded in prayer. The common American species is M. Carolina. Mantis shrimp. (Zo["o]l.) See Sguilla.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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mantis
1658, "type of insect that holds its forelegs in a praying position" (esp. the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa), from Gk. mantis, lit. "one who divines, a seer, prophet," from mainesthai "be inspired," related to menos "passion, spirit" (see mania). The insect so called for its way of holding the forelimbs as if in prayer. Also used in Gk. for some sort of grasshopper (Theocritus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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MANTIS language
A structured, full-function procedural 4GL and application development system from Cincom. MANTIS enables the developer to design prototypes, create transaction screens and reports, define logical data views, write structured procedures, and dynamically test, correct, document, secure, and release applications for production in a single, integrated, interactive session.
MANTIS applications can be enhanced with gOOi, the graphical object-oriented interface, which creates graphical Windows representations of existing MANTIS screens.
(http://cincom.com/products/mantis/).
(2003-08-08)
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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| MANTIS Manual, Alternative, and Natural Therapy Index System |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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