stridulate

[ strij-uh-leyt ]

verb (used without object)

, strid·u·lat·ed, strid·u·lat·ing.

1. to produce a shrill, grating sound, as a cricket does, by rubbing together certain parts of the body; shrill.

stridulate

/ ˈstrɪdjʊˌleɪt; ˈstrɪdjʊˌleɪtərɪ /

verb

1. intr (of insects such as the cricket) to produce sounds by rubbing one part of the body against another

Derived Forms

• ˈstriduˌlator, noun
• ˌstriduˈlation, noun
• stridulatory, adjective

Other Words From

• stridu·lation noun
• strid·u·la·to·ry [strij, -, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
• un·stridu·lating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stridulate¹

First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from stridulation; stridulous, -ate ¹, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of stridulate¹

C19: back formation from stridulation, from Latin strīdulus creaking, hissing, from strīdēre to make a harsh noise

Example Sentences

The insects buzzed, whined, hummed, stridulated and droned as the air grew warmer in the sunset.

From Literature

I may never want to tell a male grasshopper from a female grasshopper; I may never figure out how to pronounce “stridulate,” the special science word for when bugs rub their feet together.

From The Verge

Decrepit, senile, and miserable, Tithonus eventually shrank into a cicada who stridulated ceaselessly, calling out for release.

From The New Yorker

Insects in Borneo might stridulate loudly at a middle frequency, alternating so as not to drown each other out.

From The Verge

Like crickets and katydids, they can stridulate by rubbing its body parts together to attract a mate or ward off potential predators.

From Scientific American