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

Explanation

A cicada is a large, winged insect that makes a distinctive vibrating sound. You might hear hundreds of male cicadas singing loudly on a summer night. Cicadas are often confused with locusts, which are a similar size, a little under two inches long, but are unrelated to cicadas. Depending on the species, cicadas live underground for anywhere from two to seventeen years before emerging for a few weeks of adulthood. Beyond their loud summer buzz, cicadas have a deep cultural history: Their discarded shells are a staple in traditional Chinese medicine, and they’ve been a popular food source from ancient Greece to modern-day Appalachia, where locals affectionately call them "jarflies."

Example Sentences

Look, for instance, for a conductor with a clock as a face, dancing luggage and a cicada jug band, among a host of other oddities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

In Costa Rica, a rufous-vented ground cuckoo snatches a cicada fleeing an army ant swarm.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

The bloody stain of the cicada on the artwork proves to be excellent foreshadowing of where the film is headed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

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

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2024

I walk out around back, a wall of heat and cicada noise hitting me, and sit down beside him, grass crunchy and wet beneath my hands and soaking right into my jeans.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

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