cicada

American  

[si-key-duh, -kah-] / sɪˈkeɪ də, -ˈkɑ- /

noun

plural

cicadas, cicadae

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.

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cicada British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of cicada

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cicāda

Example Sentences

When we stepped onto the back porch, the whir of the cicadas made us both jump.

From Literature

The crickets and cicadas make a ceaseless, deafening buzz, coyotes cry mournfully in the distance, songbirds cheep and squawk at the first hint of dawn.

From Literature

Leroy, observing an old superstition, made an oath to the awakening cicadas that he will turn himself in if he’s given the chance to make peace with Berta.

From Los Angeles Times

It was like an hour and a half of trying to get Leslie’s side of that and she just had to stay focused while there were frogs, cicadas and a party boat—

From Los Angeles Times

Some insects, including aphids and cicadas, feed on phloem – the living tissue inside plants that carries food made in the leaves to other parts of the plant – and may also benefit from carbon-rich plants.

From Salon

Related Words

• grasshopper