scarab

[ skar-uh b ]

/ ˈskær əb /

any scarabaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians.

a representation or image of a beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptians as a symbol, seal, amulet, or the like.

a gem cut to resemble a beetle.

Also scarabaeus (for defs 2, 3).

Origin of scarab

First recorded in 1570–80; short for scarabaeus

The Egyptian scarab, on its rounded side, had been naturalistically carved in relief in beetle form.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 |Various
Represented with the head and legs of a man the scarab was an emblem of Ptah.

Scarabs |Isaac Myer
M. Mariette says, that the mummies of the XIth Dynasty nearly always have a scarab on the little finger of the left hand.

Scarabs |Isaac Myer
The scarab, being a symbol of faith, might be of some assistance.

The World's Progress, Vol. I (of X) |Various

The general outline of the ring is like a stirrup, a form which of course varied in accordance with the size of the scarab.

Jewellery |H. Clifford Smith,

scarab

/ (ˈskærəb) /

any scarabaeid beetle, esp Scarabaeus sacer (sacred scarab), regarded by the ancient Egyptians as divine

the scarab as represented on amulets, etc, of ancient Egypt, or in hieroglyphics as a symbol of the solar deity

C16: from Latin scarabaeus; probably related to Greek karabos horned beetle