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short-horned grasshopper

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short-horned grasshopper

[shawrt-hawrnd]
–noun
locust (def. 1).

Origin:
1885–90

lo⋅cust

[loh-kuhst]
–noun
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.

Origin:
1150–1200; ME < L locusta grasshopper


lo⋅cust⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To short-horned grasshopper
short-horned grasshopper   (shôrt'hôrnd')   
n.  A grasshopper of the family Locustidae (or Acrididae), including the locusts that swarm over large areas destroying vegetation.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

locust  (2)
"N.Amer. tree," 1640, originally "carob tree" (1615), whose fruit supposedly resembled the insect. Gk. akris "locust" was often applied in the Levant to carob pods. Soon applied in Eng. to other trees as well.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

short-horned grasshopper

any of more than 10,000 species of insects (order Orthoptera) that are characterized by short, heavy antennae, a four-valved ovipositor for laying eggs, and three-segmented tarsi (distal segments of the leg). They are herbivorous and include some of the most destructive agricultural pests known. The plague, or migratory, species are called locusts. See locust

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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