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 conventionalized beetle, which is a common motive in Egyptian art.
- 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 .
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 , andScarabæus 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 thefamily Scarabaeidae, especially the species Scarabaeus sacer,sacred to the ancientEgyptians . - noun A
symbol ,seal ,amulet , orgem fashioned toresemble 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
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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This scarab is invariably engraved with a special formula (chap. xxx.,
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Remember how I said my scarab was the most painful yet?
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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.
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One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.
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One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.
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One level deeper into the scarab is a blend of the Egyptian ankh and the Christian cross.
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Enclosing the scarab was a framework of gold which had held, among other elements, a pair of cartouches containing the names of a pharaoh.
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Utset called the scarab beetle and gave him the sack of stars, telling him to pass out first with them.
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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.
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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.
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