mantispid

American

[man-tis-pid] / mænˈtɪs pɪd /

noun

any neuropterous, mantislike insect of the family Mantispidae, the larvae of which are parasites in the nests of spiders or wasps.

Etymology

Origin of mantispid

< New Latin Mantispidae family of insects, equivalent to Mantisp ( a ) genus name (apparently erroneously for *Mantiopa, equivalent to manti ( s ) mantis + Greek -ōp ( s ) having a face (of a given sort), resembling (adj. use of ṓps face, eye; cf. -opsis) + New Latin -a -a ² ) + -idae -id ²

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023