богомолка

Formed as бог (bog, “god”) +‎ -о- (-o-) +‎ мо́лка (mólka, “prayer, requester”) (non-standard), in reference to the "praying-like" stature of the insect. A near calque of Ancient Greek μᾰ́ντῐς (mắntĭs, “soothsayer”). Cognate with Serbo-Croatian бого̀мо̄љка, Slovene bogomọ̑lka, Russian богомо́л (bogomól). Compare also analogous German Gottesanbeterin (“mantis”, literally “God-worshipper”).

• IPA^(key): [boɡoˈmɔɫkɐ]

• Audio:

  (file)

богомо́лка • (bogomólka) f

1. praying mantis (dictyopteran insect of order Mantodea)

• богомо́лец (bogomólec, “god-warshipper, pilgrim”)
• молба́ (molbá, “plea, request”)
• моли́тва (molítva, “prayer”)

• “богомолка”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2014
• “богомолка”, in Речник на българския език [Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language] (in Bulgarian), Chitanka, 2010

• IPA^(key): [bɔˈɡɔmɔɫka]
• IPA^(key): [bɔɡɔˈmɔɫka] (nonstandard)

богомолка • (bogomolka) f (plural богомолки)

1. praying mantis

богомо́л (bogomól) +‎ -ка (-ka)

• IPA^(key): [bəɡɐˈmoɫkə]

богомо́лка • (bogomólka) f anim (genitive богомо́лки, nominative plural богомо́лки, genitive plural богомо́лок, masculine богомо́л)

1. female equivalent of богомо́л (bogomól): female pilgrim
   • 1884, Антон Чехов [Anton Chekhov], Брожение умов, Санкт-Петербург: Осколки; English translation from Constance Garnett, transl., Minds in Ferment, 1921:

     Ми́мо бесе́дующих бесшу́мно прошли́ три ста́рые богомо́лки с кото́мками и в лапотка́х.

     Mímo besédujuščix besšúmno prošlí tri stáryje bogomólki s kotómkami i v lapotkáx.

     Three old pilgrim women, wearing bark shoes and carrying wallets, passed noiselessly by the speakers.