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scor·pi·on

(skôrpē-ən)

1. Any of various arachnids of the order Scorpiones, chiefly of warm dry regions, having large claws and a segmented tail that curves over the back and is tipped with a venomous sting.

2. Scorpion See Scorpius.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin scorpiō, scorpiōn-, alteration of scorpius, from Greek skorpios.]

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scorpion

fat-tailed scorpion

Androctonus australis

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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