Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous beetles of the family Scarabaeidae; a scarabaeid.
  • noun The scarabaeid beetle Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians.
  • noun A representation of this beetle, such as a ceramic or stone sculpture or a cut gem, used in ancient Egypt as a talisman and a symbol of the soul.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A beetle.
  • noun In entomology, a coleopterous insect of the family Scarabæidæ, and especially of the genus Scarabæus; a scarabæid or scarabæoid.
  • noun A gem, usually emerald, green feldspar, or obsidian, cut in the form of a beetle and engraved on the under face, common among the ancient Egyptians as an amulet. Also scarabæus.
  • noun A conventionalized beetle, which is a common motive in Egyptian art.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of lamellicorn beetles of the genus Scarabæus, or family Scarabæidæ, especially the sacred, or Egyptian, species (Scarabæus sacer, and Scarabæus Egyptiorum).
  • noun (Egyptian Archæology, Jewelry) A stylized representation of a scarab beetle carved in stone or faience, or made in baked clay, usually in a conventionalized form in which the beetle has its legs held closely at its sides, and commonly having an inscription on the flat underside; -- a symbol of resurrection, used by the ancient Egyptians as an ornament or a talisman, and in modern times used in jewelry, usually by engraving the formalized scarab design on cabuchon stones. Also used attributively.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A type of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, especially the species Scarabaeus sacer, sacred to the ancient Egyptians.
  • noun A symbol, seal, amulet, or gem fashioned to resemble the sacred beetle.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus, from Greek kārabos, spiny lobster, longhorn beetle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus ("beetle"), from Ancient Greek κάραβος (karabos, "beetle").

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Examples

  • This scarab is invariably engraved with a special formula (chap. xxx.,

    Pharaohs, Fellahs and Explorers 1891

  • Remember how I said my scarab was the most painful yet?

    Here I Go Again archmage 2006

  • Plunged into depression, she sought information about the traditions surrounding King Tut and came to believe that repatriating the scarab was the only way to break the alleged curse.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2005

  • One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.

    The Welkening Gregory Spencer 2004

  • One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.

    The Welkening Gregory Spencer 2004

  • One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.

    The Welkening Gregory Spencer 2004

  • Enclosing the scarab was a framework of gold which had held, among other elements, a pair of cartouches containing the names of a pharaoh.

    The Curse of the Pharaohs Peters, Elizabeth, 1927- 1981

  • Utset called the scarab beetle and gave him the sack of stars, telling him to pass out first with them.

    Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest Katharine Berry [Editor] Judson

  • These words are to be inscribed on a hard green, gold-coated scarab, which is to be inserted through the mouth into the bosom of the deceased.

    The World's Greatest Books — Volume 13 — Religion and Philosophy Various 1909

  • The scarab, which is a very small one, Leo had insisted upon having set in a massive gold ring, such as is generally used for signets, and it was this very ring that I now picked up.

    She Henry Rider Haggard 1890

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