: something that incites to action like the sting of an insect
the scorpions of absolute necessity—Arnold Bennett
Illustration of scorpion
scorpion 1a
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While there are about 2,800 species of scorpions, there is only one in the U.S. that's dangerous to humans, according to the University of Arizona Health Sciences: the Arizona bark scorpion.—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 6 July 2025 Near the entrance, there's a bio-active tank of live scorpions that are decidedly not for eating.—Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 In this case, the team explored scorpion venom for potential bioactive molecules—substances that affect living tissues in a beneficial way, such as fighting infections or cancer.—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025 One evening, a young man named Francis took us on a walk and found rainbow beetles, scorpions, a possum and a 3-foot-long caiman.—The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for scorpion
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French eskorpiun, from Latin scorpion-, scorpio, from Greek skorpios
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