MANTIS

[man.tis] n, pl man.tis.es or man.tes [NL, fr. Gk, lit., diviner, prophet; akin to Gk mainesthai to be mad--more at mania] (1658): any of an order or suborder (Mantodea and esp. family Mantidae) of large usu. green insects that feed on other insects and clasp their prey in forelimbs held up as if in prayer