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locust
[ loh-kuhst ]
/ ˈloʊ kəst /
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noun
Also called acridid, short-horned grasshopper. any of several grasshoppers of the family Acrididae, having short antennae and commonly migrating in swarms that strip the vegetation from large areas.
any of various cicadas, as the seventeen-year locust.
any of several North American trees belonging to the genus Robinia, of the legume family, especially R. pseudoacacia, having pinnate leaves and clusters of fragrant white flowers.
the durable wood of this tree.
any of various other trees, as the carob and the honey locust.
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Origin of locust
1150–1200; Middle English <Latin locusta grasshopper
OTHER WORDS FROM locust
lo·cust·like, adjectiveWords nearby locust
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use locust in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for locust
locust
/ (ˈləʊkəst) /
noun
any of numerous orthopterous insects of the genera Locusta, Melanoplus, etc, such as L. migratoria, of warm and tropical regions of the Old World, which travel in vast swarms, stripping large areas of vegetationSee also grasshopper (def. 1) Compare seventeen-year locust
Also called: locust tree, false acacia a North American leguminous tree, Robinia pseudoacacia, having prickly branches, hanging clusters of white fragrant flowers, and reddish-brown seed pods
the yellowish durable wood of this tree
any of several similar trees, such as the honey locust and carob
Derived forms of locust
locust-like, adjectiveWord Origin for locust
C13 (the insect): from Latin locusta locust; applied to the tree (C17) because the pods resemble locusts
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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