manticore
[ man-ti-kawr, -kohr ]
/ ˈmæn tɪˌkɔr, -ˌkoʊr /
noun
a legendary monster with a man's head, horns, a lion's body, and the tail of a dragon or, sometimes, a scorpion.
Origin of manticore
1300–50; Middle English < Latin
mantichōrās < Greek, erroneous reading for
martichṓras < Iranian; compare Old Persian
martiya- man, Avestan
xvar- devour, Persian
mardom-khar < man-eating; probably ultimately alluding to the tiger, once common in the Caspian Sea region
Words nearby manticore
mantellone,
mantelpiece,
mantelshelf,
manteltree,
mantic,
manticore,
mantid,
mantilla,
mantinea,
mantis,
mantis shrimp
British Dictionary definitions for manticore
manticore
/ (ˈmæntɪˌkɔː) /
noun
a monster with a lion's body, a scorpion's tail, and a man's head with three rows of teeth. It roamed the jungles of India and, like the Sphinx, would ask travellers a riddle and kill them when they failed to answer it
Word Origin for manticore
C21: from Latin
manticora, from Greek
mantichōrās, corruption of
martichorās, from Persian
mardkhora man-eater