scorpion

[skawr-pee-uh n] /ˈskɔr pi ən/
noun
1.
any of numerous arachnids of the order Scorpionida, widely distributed in warmer parts of the world, having a long, narrow, segmented tail that terminates in a venomous sting.
2.
the Scorpion, Astronomy, Scorpius.
3.
any of various harmless lizards, especially the red- or orange-headed males of certain North American skinks.
4.
Bible. a whip or scourge that has spikes attached. I Kings 12:11.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English < Latin scorpiōn- (stem of scorpiō), equivalent to scorp(ius) scorpion (< Greek skorpíos) + -iōn- noun suffix, perhaps after pāpiliō (stem pāpiliōn-) butterfly, or stelliō (stem stelliōn-) gecko
Related forms
scorpionic
[skawr-pee-on-ik] /ˌskɔr piˈɒn ɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
Examples from the web for scorpion
  • With it, you can still get nowhere if you're great in the library but have the social grace of a scorpion.
  • Aficionados compare their shape to the lyre and even to the scorpion's arched stinger.
  • The answer may lie in another zoologically suspect fable, the frog that is persuaded to ferry a scorpion across a river.
  • Then a couple of years back there was the plane that had to be held on the tarmac due to the scorpion.
  • He who has been stung by a scorpion is afraid of its shadow.
  • The alligator gives it to him, and then the scorpion stings him and kills him.
  • There is an old story about a scorpion and a turtle.
  • He's been stung by a scorpion and has cut his wrist to the bone with a machete.
  • Summer inhabitants include the occasional rattlesnake and scorpion.
  • While you are exploring the shipwreck, keep your eyes peeled for lion fish, scorpion fish and blue spotted stingrays.
British Dictionary definitions for scorpion

scorpion

/ˈskɔːpɪən/
noun
1.
any arachnid of the order Scorpionida, of warm dry regions, having a segmented body with a long tail terminating in a venomous sting
2.
false scorpion, any small nonvenomous arachnid of the order Pseudoscorpionida (or Chelonethida), which superficially resemble scorpions but lack the long tail See book scorpion
3.
any of various other similar arachnids, such as the whip scorpion, or other arthropods, such as the water scorpion
4.
(Old Testament) a barbed scourge (I Kings 12:11)
5.
(history) a war engine for hurling stones; ballista
Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin scorpiō, from Greek skorpios, of obscure origin

Scorpion

/ˈskɔːpɪən/
noun
1.
the Scorpion, the constellation Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac
Word Origin and History for scorpion
n.

c.1200, from Old French scorpion (12c.), from Latin scorpionem (nominative scorpio), extended form of scorpius, from Greek skorpios "a scorpion," from PIE root *(s)ker- "to cut" (see shear (v.)). The Spanish alacran "scorpion" is from Arabic al-'aqrab.

scorpion in Technology

Twenty tools that can be used to construct specialised programming environments. The Scorpion Project was started by Prof. Richard Snodgrass as an outgrowth of the SoftLab Project (which produced the IDL Toolkit) that he started when he was at the University of North Carolina. The Scorpion Project is directed by him at the University of Arizona and by Karen Shannon at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Version 6.0 runs on Sun-3, Sun-4, VAX, Decstation, Iris, Sequent, HP9000.
See also Candle.
(ftp://cs.arizona.edu/scorpion/).
Mailing list: info-scorpion-request@cs.arizona.edu.
E-mail: .
(1993-11-04)