Etymology

mantis

M3A1N1T1I1S1

Today it means: Any of various large insects of the order Mantodea that catch insects or other small animals with their powerful forelegs. Full definition →

Latin mantis ← Ancient Greek μάντις (mántis) ← Proto-Hellenic *mə́tis
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*men-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*méntis
  3. Proto-Hellenic*mə́tis
  4. Ancient Greekμάντις (mántis)
  5. Latinmantis
  6. English todaymantis

From New Latin mantis, from Ancient Greek μάντις (mántis, “soothsayer”). Distant doublet of mind via Proto-Indo-European *méntis. Noncognate with mantissa.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekμάντις all →

praying mantis

Proto-Indo-European*méntis all →

mindmendacity

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.