What is "scarab"

Scarab \Scar"ab\, Scarabee \Scar"a*bee\, n. [L. scarabaeus; cf. F. scarab['e]e.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of lamellicorn beetles of the genus Scarab[ae]us, or family Scarab[ae]id[ae], especially the sacred, or Egyptian, species ( Scarab[ae]us sacer, and Scarab[ae]us Egyptiorum).

2. (Egyptian Arch[ae]ology, Jewelry) A stylized representation of a scarab beetle carved in stone or faience, or made in baked clay, usually in a conventionalized form in which the beetle has its legs held closely at its sides, and commonly having an inscription on the flat underside; -- a symbol of resurrection, used by the ancient Egyptians as an ornament or a talisman, and in modern times used in jewelry, usually by engraving the formalized scarab design on cabuchon stones. Also used attributively; as, a scarab bracelet [a bracelet containing scarabs]; a ring with a scarab [the carved stone itelf].

"black dung beetle," held sacred by the ancient Egyptians, 1570s, from Middle French scarabeé, from Latin scarabaeus, name of a type of beetle, from Greek karabos "beetle, crayfish," a foreign word, according to Klein probably Macedonian (the suffix -bos is non-Greek). Related: Scarabaean. In ancient use, also a gem cut in a shape like a scarab beetle and with an inscription on the underside.

n. 1 The species (taxlink Scarabaeus sacer species noshow=1) of beetle, sacred to the ancient Egyptians. 2 Any species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. 3 A symbol, seal, amulet, or gem fashioned to resemble the sacred beetle.

n. scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians [syn: scarabaeus, Scarabaeus sacer]

Scarab may refer to:

• Cetonia aurata, the rose chafer
• Scarabaeus sacer, the scarab beetle worshipped by the ancient Egyptians
• A scarab (artifact) was an object symbolizing the holy beetle in ancient Egypt
• Other members of Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetle family

• Stout Scarab, limited production automobile
• Scammell Scarab - A small, 3-wheeled articulated lorry tractor unit produced 1948-1967
• Scarab (lunar rover)
• Scarab (constructor), a Formula One race car constructor which was formed by Lance Reventlow
• A sailing dinghy in Arthur Ransome's children's novel The Picts and the Martyrs
• Scarab (boat), a brand of high performance power boats and fishing boats

• Scarab SS-21, the NATO reporting name for the Russian OTR-21 Tochka short-ranged tactical ballistic missile,
• Scarab (comics), the name of a number of different comic book characters
• A member of the Scarabbean Senior Society at the University of Tennessee
• Former name of video game company feelplus
• Scarabaeus (video game)
• Scarab, one of the vehicles available in Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars and its sequel, Rocket League.

Scarab was an all-American open-wheel race car and sports car constructor from the United States featuring cars designed and built by Tom Barnes and Dick Troutman for Reventlow Automobiles Inc, owned by Lance Reventlow. The Chevrolet 283 CI V-8 engines were built by Traco Engineering (Jim Travers and Frank Coons, nicknamed "The Whiz Kids").

The Scarab is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in Startling Comics #34 (July 1945), published by Nedor Comics. The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore for America's Best Comics.

Scarab is an American comic book limited series written by John Smith and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, featuring a superhero called Scarab.

It ran for only eight issues between November 1993 and June 1994, although the character later reappeared in DC's Justice Society of America series.

Scarab, in comics, may refer to:

• Scarab (Vertigo), a Vertigo character and title
• Scarab (Nedor Comics), a Golden Age comic character
• Scarab (Dynamite Entertainment), a character in Project Superpowers
• Scarab (Awesome Comics), a member of the Re:Gex
• Scarab, a character in Kabuki
• Scarab, a Wildstorm character who fought Stormwatch: Team Achilles
• Scarlet Scarab, two Marvel Comics characters

Scarab is a new generation lunar rover designed to explore the lunar south pole. Scarab is capable of autonomously traversing in dark polar craters. It uses laser mapping to navigate and carries a science payload. The science payload is capable of taking a 1m core sample and analyzing it for water and gasses. Scarab is also used to test varying mobility techniques and next generation lunar wheels. It is being developed by the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, supported by NASA.

Scarab is a brand of high performance power boats formerly owned by Wellcraft and currently by Rec Boat Holdings. Wellcraft still makes a line of fishing boats which are currently known as Scarab Offshore.

Scarab boats were popularly featured in the 1980s TV series Miami Vice. As of the second season of the series the main character Sonny Crockett piloted a Wellcraft 38 Scarab KV. In the later episodes of the TV show Baywatch the lifeguards also use Scarabs.

Scarabs were the popular amulets in Ancient Egypt. They survive in large numbers and, through their inscriptions and typology, they are an important source of information for archeologists and historians of the ancient world. They also represent a significant body of ancient art.

For reasons that are not clear (although no doubt connected to the religious significance of the Egyptian god Khepri), amulets in the form of scarab beetles had become enormously popular in Ancient Egypt by the early Middle Kingdom (approx. 2000 BCE) and remained popular for the rest of the pharaonic period and beyond. During that long period the function of scarabs repeatedly changed. Primarily amulets, they were also inscribed for use as personal or administrative seals or were incorporated into jewelry. Some scarabs were apparently created for political or diplomatic purposes to commemorate or advertise royal achievements. By the early New Kingdom heart scarabs had become part of the battery of amulets protecting mummies.

From the middle Bronze Age, other ancient peoples of the Mediterranean and the Middle East imported scarabs from Egypt and also produced scarabs in Egyptian or local styles, especially in the Levant.