ETYM French, from Latin scorpio, scorpius, Greek skorpios, perhaps akin to Eng. sharp.
Any arachnid of the order Scorpiones. Common in the tropics and subtropics, scorpions have large pincers and long tails ending in upcurved poisonous stings, though the venom is not usually fatal to a healthy adult human. Some species reach 25 cm/10 in. They produce live young rather than eggs, and hunt chiefly by night.
Scorpions sometimes prey on each other, but their main food is the woodlouse. They are also able to survive for a long time without eating: one scorpion managed to survive for 17 months on a single housefly.
Arachnid of warm dry regions having a long segmented tail ending in a venomous sting.