- Mantis religiosa
- Praying Pray"ing,
a. & n. from {Pray}, v.
[1913 Webster]
{Praying insect}, {Praying locust}, or {Praying mantis} (Zo["o]l.), a mantis, especially {Mantis religiosa}. See {Mantis}.
{Praying machine}, or {Praying wheel}, a wheel on which prayers are pasted by Buddhist priests, who then put the wheel in rapid revolution. Each turn in supposed to have the efficacy of an oral repetition of all the prayers on the wheel. Sometimes it is moved by a stream. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
