scarabée
scarab beetle
noun skah-rah-BAY Rare
Origin: Latin 'scarabaeus', from Greek 'karabos'
Also means
beetle
Usage Note
Scarabée refers broadly to any scarab or dung beetle, but is strongly associated with the sacred scarab of ancient Egypt (Scarabaeus sacer), a frequent motif in jewellery and archaeology. It differs from coccinelle (ladybug), which is a different beetle family.
Examples
"Un scarabée doré brillait dans le sable."
Natural Translation
A golden scarab gleamed in the sand.

Free starter pack
Building your French vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore French by topic
FrenchNow
5 min read