cuckoo-spit
[ koo-koo-spit, koo k-oo- ]
/ ˈku kuˌspɪt, ˈkʊk u- /
noun
Also called frog spit. a frothy secretion found on plants, exuded by the young of certain insects, as the froghoppers, and serving as a protective covering.
an insect that produces this secretion.
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Nearby words
cuckoo clock, cuckoo shrike, cuckoo spit, cuckoo wasp, cuckoo-shrike, cuckoo-spit, cuckooflower, cuckoopint, cuculiform, cucullate, cucullated
Origin of cuckoo-spit
1350–1400; Middle English cokkowespitle cuckoopint; so called from the spitlike secretion found on the plant and thought to be left by the bird
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for cuckoo spit
cuckoo spit
noun
a white frothy mass on the stems and leaves of many plants, produced by froghopper larvae (cuckoo spit insects) which feed on the plant juicesAlso called: frog spit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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