manticore

manticore [man-ti-kawr, -kohr] Word Origin noun

1. a legendary monster with a man’s head, horns, a lion’s body, and the tail of a dragon or, sometimes, a scorpion.

Origin of manticore 1300–50; Middle English Latin mantichōrās Greek, erroneous reading for martichṓras Iranian; compare Old Persian martiya- man, Avestan xvar- devour, Persian mardom-khar British Dictionary definitions for manticoremanticore noun

1. a monster with a lion’s body, a scorpion’s tail, and a man’s head with three rows of teeth. It roamed the jungles of India and, like the Sphinx, would ask travellers a riddle and kill them when they failed to answer it

Word Origin for manticore C21: from Latin manticora, from Greek mantichōrās, corruption of martichorās, from Persian mardkhora man-eater Word Origin and History for manticore n.

fabulous monster with the body of a lion, head of a man, porcupine quills, and tail or sting of a scorpion, c.1300, from Latin manticora, from Greek mantikhoras, corruption of martikhoras, perhaps from Iranian compound *mar-tiya-khvara “man-eater;” cf. Old Persian maritya- “man” (from PIE *mar-t-yo-, from *mer- “to die,” thus “mortal, human;” see mortal (adj.)) + kvar- “to eat,” from PIE root *swel- (1) “to eat, drink” (see swallow (v.)).

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