katydid

[ key-tee-did ]

noun

1. any of several large, usually green, American long-horned grasshoppers, the males of which produce a characteristic song.

katydid

/ ˈkeɪtɪˌdɪd /

noun

1. any typically green long-horned grasshopper of the genus Microcentrum and related genera, living among the foliage of trees in North America

Word History and Origins

Origin of katydid¹

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; imitative

Word History and Origins

Origin of katydid¹

C18: of imitative origin

Example Sentences

Hordes of Mormon crickets—technically a type of shield-back katydid and not a cricket at all—have been migrating through Elko, Nevada and other areas of the West in recent weeks, creating a scene like something from a scary movie.

From National Geographic

The Mormon cricket is not a true cricket but a shield-backed katydid.

From Seattle Times

The insects, which technically aren't crickets, are members of the katydid family and don't sting or bite.

From BBC

Scientists do not know exactly when insects started to first make or hear sounds, but the fossil record provides a minimum date: a katydid from around 250 million years ago has the sound-producing anatomy characteristic of this group.

From Scientific American

In 2011 a team led by Jun-Jie Gu, now at Sichuan Agricultural University in China, worked out that a specific ancient katydid emitted songs tuned to a frequency of 6.4 kilohertz, which is roughly an octave higher than Mariah Carey’s highest recorded note.

From Scientific American