stridulate

[strij-uh-leyt]

verb (used without object)

stridulated, stridulating 

1. to produce a shrill, grating sound, as a cricket does, by rubbing together certain parts of the body; shrill.

stridulate

/ ˈstrɪdjʊˌleɪt, ˈstrɪdjʊˌleɪtərɪ /

verb

1. (intr) (of insects such as the cricket) to produce sounds by rubbing one part of the body against another

Other Word Forms

• stridulator noun
• stridulation noun
• stridulatory adjective
• unstridulating adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stridulate¹

First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from stridulation; stridulous, -ate ¹, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of stridulate¹

C19: back formation from stridulation, from Latin strīdulus creaking, hissing, from strīdēre to make a harsh noise

Example Sentences

The insects buzzed, whined, hummed, stridulated and droned as the air grew warmer in the sunset.

Read more on Literature

I may never want to tell a male grasshopper from a female grasshopper; I may never figure out how to pronounce “stridulate,” the special science word for when bugs rub their feet together.

Read more on The Verge

Decrepit, senile, and miserable, Tithonus eventually shrank into a cicada who stridulated ceaselessly, calling out for release.

Read more on The New Yorker

Insects in Borneo might stridulate loudly at a middle frequency, alternating so as not to drown each other out.

Read more on The Verge

Like crickets and katydids, they can stridulate by rubbing its body parts together to attract a mate or ward off potential predators.

Read more on Scientific American