desert locust

noun

1. a migratory locust, Schistocerca gregaria, of North Africa and Asia, associated with the plagues described in the Old Testament.

Word History and Origins

Origin of desert locust¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The region was already in a precarious position, given the economic aftershocks of Covid-19 and the scourge of desert locusts, which disrupted agriculture in the past year.

From Vox