scarab

noun

scar·​ab ˈsker-əb How to pronounce scarab (audio)
ˈska-rəb
1
: any of a family (Scarabaeidae) of stout-bodied beetles (such as a dung beetle) with lamellate or fan-shaped antennae
2
: a stone or faience beetle used in ancient Egypt as a talisman, ornament, and a symbol of resurrection

Examples of scarab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On the nearby racks hung smock dresses in earthy colors called basalt and scarab, barrel-leg ecru denim trousers and seaweed green hooded wax-cotton parkas. Thessaly La Force, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025 The items in the cache included cooking pots, jars with fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals and grinding stones for crushing grains. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 14 Jan. 2025 The scarab is now in display in the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem, while Filshteiner received a certificate of appreciation from the IAA for her discovery. Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024 One of the mummies was even found with a heart scarab. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scarab 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French scarabee, from Latin scarabaeus

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scarab was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near scarab

Cite this Entry

“Scarab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scarab. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

scarab

noun
scar·​ab ˈskar-əb How to pronounce scarab (audio)
1
: any of a family of large stout beetles (as a dung beetle)
2
: an ornament or a gem made to represent a scarab
especially : one used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of eternal life

More from Merriam-Webster on scarab

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