scarab

[ skar-uh b ]

/ ˈskær əb /

noun

any scarabaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians.

a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptians as a symbol, seal, amulet, or the like.

a gem cut to resemble a beetle.

Nearby words

Also scarabaeus (for defs 2, 3).

Origin of scarab

First recorded in 1570–80; short for scarabaeus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scarab

The Egyptian scarab, on its rounded side, had been naturalistically carved in relief in beetle form.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various
Represented with the head and legs of a man the scarab was an emblem of Ptah.
Scarabs|Isaac Myer
M. Mariette says, that the mummies of the XIth Dynasty nearly always have a scarab on the little finger of the left hand.
Scarabs|Isaac Myer
The scarab, being a symbol of faith, might be of some assistance.
The World's Progress, Vol. I (of X)|Various

The general outline of the ring is like a stirrup, a form which of course varied in accordance with the size of the scarab.
Jewellery|H. Clifford Smith,

British Dictionary definitions for scarab

scarab

/ (ˈskærəb) /

noun

any scarabaeid beetle, esp Scarabaeus sacer (sacred scarab), regarded by the ancient Egyptians as divine

the scarab as represented on amulets, etc, of ancient Egypt, or in hieroglyphics as a symbol of the solar deity

Word Origin for scarab

C16: from Latin scarabaeus; probably related to Greek karabos horned beetle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for scarab

scarab

"black dung beetle," held sacred by the ancient Egyptians, 1570s, from Middle French scarabeé, from Latin scarabaeus, name of a type of beetle, from Greek karabos "beetle, crayfish," a foreign word, according to Klein probably Macedonian (the suffix -bos is non-Greek). Related: Scarabaean. In ancient use, also a gem cut in a shape like a scarab beetle and with an inscription on the underside.