GC: n
S: MDC – https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/annual-cicadas (last access: 13 October 2024); HHP – https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-cicadas-are-here-hows-your-appetite-202406143048 (last access: 13 October 2024).
N: 1. Popular name of many insects which make a rhythmic chirping or creaking noise, late 14c., from Latin cicada “cicada, tree cricket,” not a native Latin word; perhaps a loan-word from a Mediterranean substrate language.
2. cicada, (family Cicadidae), family of more than 3,000 species of sound-producing insects. Cicadas are found in tropical and temperate areas worldwide and occur in deserts, grasslands, and forests. Cicadas have long been used in folk medicines, as religious and monetary symbols, and as an important source of food for humans and many other organisms. The cicada appears in the mythology, literature, and music of many cultures, including those of some Indigenous peoples in the Americas, and the males of certain Asian species have even been kept in cages for their melodious songs.
Cicadas are medium to large insects, ranging in size from 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2 inches). They characteristically have short antennae, two pairs of transparent membranous wings, prominent compound eyes, and three simple eyes (ocelli) that form a triangle between the compound eyes. The insects do not bite or sting. Major species are generally easily recognized by differences in songs, behavior, and morphology.
Male cicadas produce loud noises by vibrating membranes (tymbals) near the base of the abdomen. Males of each species typically have three distinct sound responses: a congregational song that is regulated by daily weather fluctuations and by songs produced by other males; a courtship song, usually produced prior to copulation; and a disturbance squawk, produced by individuals captured, held, or disturbed into flight. Most North American cicadas produce rhythmical ticks, buzzes, whines, or screams, although in some species the song is musical. Females lack tymbals, though some species use their wings to produce clicking or snapping sounds, often in response to the songs of the males.
3. Zoology > Insect: cicada.
- Any of a family (Cicadidae) of large flylike insects with transparent wings.
- Plural: cicadas or cicadae.
4. Zoology: cicadas.
- Latin: Cicadidae.
5. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention the fable The Cicad and the Ant from Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), adapted from The Ants & the Grasshopper by Aesop (sixth century BC).
S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=cicada (last access: 13 October 2024). 2. EncBrit – https://www.britannica.com/animal/cicada (last access: 13 October 2024). 3. GDT – https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/17025163/cigale (last access: 13 October 2024). 4. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=CICADAS&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 13 October 2024). 5. Ellicottlib – https://www.ellicottvillelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Cicada-and-the-Ant.pdf (last access: 13 October 2024); ReadGov – https://read.gov/aesop/052.html (last access: 13 October 2024).
SYN: harvest fly (US)
S: GDT – https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/17090765/cigale (last access: 13 October 2024); MW – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest%20fly (last access: 13 October 2024).
