scorpion
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
scorpion/ˈskɔːpiən/
▶noun
- 1 an arachnid with lobster-like pincers and a poisonous sting at the end of its tail. [Order Scorpiones.]
■ used in names of similar arachnids and insects, e.g. false scorpion.
- 2 (scorpions) literary a whip with metal points. ■[with allusion to 1 Kings 12:11.]
– origin ME: via OFr. from L. scorpio(n-), based on Gk skorpios ‘scorpion’.
'scorpion' also found in these Oxford entries:
claw
- false
- false scorpion
- manticore
- pseudoscorpion
- Scorpio
- scorpion fly
- water scorpion
- whip scorpion
