locust

[ loh-kuhst ]

noun

1. Also called acridid, short-horned grasshopper. any of several grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, having short antennae and commonly migrating in swarms that strip the vegetation from large areas.
2. any of various cicadas, as the seventeen-year locust.
3. any of several North American trees belonging to the genus Robinia, of the legume family, especially R. pseudoacacia, having pinnate leaves and clusters of fragrant white flowers.
4. the durable wood of this tree.
5. any of various other trees, as the carob and the honey locust.

locust

/ ˈləʊkəst /

noun

1. any of numerous orthopterous insects of the genera Locusta, Melanoplus, etc, such as L. migratoria, of warm and tropical regions of the Old World, which travel in vast swarms, stripping large areas of vegetation See also grasshopper Compare seventeen-year locust
2. Also calledlocust treefalse acacia a North American leguminous tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, having prickly branches, hanging clusters of white fragrant flowers, and reddish-brown seed pods
3. the yellowish durable wood of this tree
4. any of several similar trees, such as the honey locust and carob

Derived Forms

• ˈlocust-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• locust·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of locust¹

1150–1200; Middle English < Latin locusta grasshopper

Word History and Origins

Origin of locust¹

C13 (the insect): from Latin locusta locust; applied to the tree (C17) because the pods resemble locusts

Example Sentences

Like a swarm of human locusts, RSF militiamen rampaged through the capital, Khartoum, stripping it bare of anything that could be pillaged and resold.

From BBC

The locusts occur in two phases: as solitary animals and in swarms.

From Science Daily

Because of displacement and climate change, families have resorted to “bad coping mechanisms like eating leaves and locusts just to survive,” Ejem said.

From Seattle Times

A study published earlier this year found that over 3,000 ethnic groups across 128 countries eat 2,205 species of Insecta, with everything from caterpillars to locusts appearing in dishes of every description.

From Salon

These spinach-like leaves are added to a pot of boiling water along with salt and spices, locust beans and melon seeds.

From BBC

Related Words

• grasshopper