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蟷螂. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
蟷螂, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
蟷螂 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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蟷螂 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
蟷螂, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Etymology 1
Either a compound of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) + 切り (kiri, “cutting; cutter”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 切る (kiru, “to cut”)), or of 鎌 (kama, “sickle”) + キリ (kiri, onomatopoeia), where the kiri is imitative of the sound made by grasshoppers and katydids, and is found as a common element in the names of several insects of similar size and body shape. Compare 螽斯 (kirigirisu, “grasshopper; katydid”), 笹切 (sasakiri, “bush cricket; katydid”).
Considering the sharp forelegs of the mantis, the first derivation may be more probable.
The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 蟷螂/𬠅螂.
Pronunciation
Noun
蟷螂 or 蟷螂 • (kamakiri)
- a mantis (any of various large insects of the order Mantodea)
- (by extension, from the slender build of the insect) a skinny person or horse
- (rare) a fourspine sculpin, a fish of species Cottus kazika
- Synonym: 鮎掛 (ayukake)
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as カマキリ.
For the fourspine sculpin sense, the more common kanji spellings are 鎌切 and 杜父魚.[1][4]
Etymology 2
From Middle Chinese 螳螂 (MC dang ljang|lang).
Pronunciation
Noun
蟷螂 • (tōrō) ←たうらう (taurau)?
- a mantis
Derived terms
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN