mantis
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mantis /ˈmantɪs/ (also praying mantis)
▶noun (pl. same or mantises) a slender predatory insect with a triangular head, typically waiting motionless for prey with its forelegs folded like hands in prayer. [Mantis religiosa (southern Europe) and many other species, suborder Mantodea.]
– origin C17: mod. L., from Gk, lit. ‘prophet’.
'mantis' also found in these Oxford entries:
