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seventeen-year locust

[sev-uh n-teen-yeer]
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noun
  1. a cicada, Magicicada septendecim, of the eastern U.S., having nymphs that live in the soil, usually emerging in great numbers after 17 years in the North or 13 years in the South.
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Origin of seventeen-year locust

First recorded in 1810–20
Also called periodical cicada.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for seventeen-year locust

seventeen-year locust

noun
  1. an E North American cicada, Magicicada septendecim, appearing in great numbers at infrequent intervals because its nymphs take 13 or 17 years to matureAlso called: periodical cicada
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012