STRIDULATION

stridulation

(noun) a shrill grating or chirping noise made by some insects by rubbing body parts together

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

stridulation (countable and uncountable, plural stridulations)

A high-pitched chirping, grating, hissing, or squeaking sound, as male crickets and grasshoppers make by rubbing certain body parts together.

Source: Wiktionary


Strid`u*la"tion, n.

Definition: The act of stridulating. Specifically: (Zoöl.) (a) The act of making shrill sounds or musical notes by rubbing together certain hard parts, as is done by the males of many insects, especially by Orthoptera, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. (b) The noise itself.

Note: The crickets stridulate by rubbing together the strong nervures of the fore wings. Many grasshoppers stridulate by rubbing the hind legs across strong nervures on the fore wings. The green grasshoppers and katydids stridulate by means of special organs at the base of the fore wings.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

22 January 2025

MEGALITH

(noun) memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Coffee is among the most consumed beverages worldwide. According to Statista, an average person consumes roughly 42.6 liters of coffee per year.

coffee icon