cicada

[ si-key-duh, -kah- ]

noun

, plural ci·ca·das, ci·ca·dae [si-, key, -dee, -, kah, -].

1. any large homopterous insect of the family Cicadidae, the male of which produces a shrill sound by means of vibrating membranes on the underside of the abdomen.

cicada

/ sɪˈkɑːdə /

noun

1. any large broad insect of the homopterous family Cicadidae, most common in warm regions. Cicadas have membranous wings and the males produce a high-pitched drone by vibration of a pair of drumlike abdominal organs

Word History and Origins

Origin of cicada¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cicāda

Word History and Origins

Origin of cicada¹

C19: from Latin

Example Sentences

Surrounded on all sides by a continuous oppressive chorus of cicadas and the mountain ranges making up the Altar Valley, you quickly lose any sense of direction.

From Salon

Hell, even Chuck Schumer, who rarely has the energy to do more than babble incoherently while sounding like a cicada, was semi-energetic on stage.

From Salon

Then there was the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a winner for “Appropriate,” rocking a cicada brooch tie, a nod to one of the production’s creepy-crawly motifs.

From New York Times

“Most trees and shrubs will bounce back from cicada damage just fine,” he said.

From New York Times

When Cortni Borgerson thinks about the trillion or so periodical cicadas emerging from underground, she sees more than clumsily flying insects flitting from tree to tree in search of a mate.

From Salon

Related Words

• grasshopper