Scarabaeuses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ancient Egyptian beetle revered in mythology, often associated with transformation and resurrection
2. a symbolic representation of the sun, embodying renewal through its lifecycle
3. an exemplar of devotion and protection in Egyptian culture, often found in funerary practices and artifacts

Etymology: "Scarabaeuses" is simply the plural of "scarabaeus", the Latinized form of a Greek word for the dung beetle, "kantharos" or "skarabaios" (the Greek form is usually given as "kararabos" in older sources; the reliable point is that the Greeks used it for the beetle and that the Romans adopted it as "scarabaeus"). The plural follows the Latin-style pattern and gives the noun its scientific-scholarly feel, mostly used in entomology and Egyptology. Note that "scarabaeus" and "scarab" are doublets: both come from the same Latin source, but English took the full form and then shortened it to "scarab" as a more everyday word. The full form keeps the Latin ending visible, which is why it still appears in scientific writing about the beetle family Scarabaeidae.

Synonyms: beetles, scarabs