[loh-kuh
st] 
| 1. | 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. |
| 2. | any of various cicadas, as the seventeen-year locust. |
| 3. | any of several North American trees belonging to the genus Robinia, of the legume family, esp. R. pseudoacacia, having pinnate leaves and clusters of fragrant white flowers. |
| 4. | the durable wood of this tree. |
| 5. | any of various other trees, as the carob and the honey locust. |
"In the Hebrew Bible there are nine different names for the insect or for particular species or varieties; in the English Bible they are rendered sometimes 'locust,' sometimes 'beetle,' 'grasshopper,' 'caterpillar,' 'palmerworm,' etc. The precise application of several names is unknown." [OED]