scarab
UK[ˈskærəb]US[ˈskærəb]
n
a large dung beetle, regarded as sacred in ancient egypt.
n
an image or carving of a scarab beetle, often used as a charm or seal in ancient egypt.
Etymology
the word 'scarab' entered english in the late 16th century, borrowed from the french 'scarabée'. the french term derived from the latin 'scarabaeus', which itself was a translation of the greek 'kárabos', meaning a horned beetle or a kind of crustacean. the greek term likely has a deeper, possibly pre-greek, origin, reflecting the creature's hard, shell-like body. the semantic journey is direct, moving from a general ancient term for a beetle to its specific, culturally loaded application to the sacred egyptian dung beetle and its iconic representations.
Analysis
this word is a loanword adopted as a single, unsegmentable unit into english.
Examples
the ancient egyptians revered the scarab as a symbol of rebirth and the sun.
archaeologists discovered a faience scarab amulet in the tomb.
the scarab pushes a ball of dung many times its own size.