any arachnid of the order Scorpionida, of warm dry regions, having a segmented body with a long tail terminating in a venomous sting - false scorpion ⇒
any small nonvenomous arachnid of the order Pseudoscorpionida (or Chelonethida), which superficially resemble scorpions but lack the long tail a barbed scourge (I Kings 12:11)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
scor•pi•on /ˈskɔrpiən/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Invertebrates, Insectsa small animal that has a front pair of pincers and a long, upcurved tail with a poisonous stinger.
scor•pi•on
(skôr′pē ən),USA pronunciation n.
scor•pi•on•ic
(skôr′pē on′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
- Invertebrates, Insectsany 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.
- Astronomy the Scorpion, Scorpius.
- Reptilesany of various harmless lizards, esp. the red- or orange-headed males of certain North American skinks.
- Biblea whip or scourge that has spikes attached. I Kings 12:11.
- Greek skorpíos) + -iōn- noun, nominal suffix, perh. after pāpiliō (stem pāpiliōn-) butterfly, or stelliō (stem stelliōn-) gecko
- Latin scorpiōn- (stem of scorpiō), equivalent. to scorp(ius) scorpion (
- 1175–1225; Middle English
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
- the Scorpion ⇒
the constellation Scorpio, the eighth sign of the zodiac