katydid

noun

ka·​ty·​did ˈkā-tē-ˌdid How to pronounce katydid (audio)
: any of various large green American long-horned grasshoppers usually having stridulating organs on the forewings of the males that produce a loud shrill sound

Illustration of katydid

Illustration of katydid

Did you know?

Some animal names have been created through imitation of the sounds the animals make. The name katydid is an example of this process. These insects were given this name because the noise they make was thought to sound like “Katy-did, Katy-didn't” repeated over and over.

Examples of katydid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The sun is engulfed, the sky dips into darkness, and the frenetic sounds of confused crickets, katydids, and cicadas come into focus. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024 The katydid’s rosy complexion is due to a condition called erythrism. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 25 July 2023 Using your nets or the park’s, bring your friends and family to catch a variety of butterflies, grasshoppers, praying mantises, katydids, beetles and other native pollinators and meadow insects. Joan Rusek, cleveland, 31 Aug. 2023 In a video posted to his Instagram account, Woodruff displays a pink katydid nestled between two fingers. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 25 July 2023 Pink grasshoppers and katydids are a rare phenomenon. Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 25 July 2023 Mormon crickets are technically not crickets but a type of katydid. Victoria Sayo Turner, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2023 Jurassic Cricket Biologists in Beijing determined the mating call of a 165-million-year-old male katydid by measuring fossils of the noisemaking apparatus in the insect’s wings. Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 8 Aug. 2012 For a start, it’s only found in the first pair of legs where the katydid’s ears are. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'katydid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

imitative

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of katydid was in 1784

Dictionary Entries Near katydid

Cite this Entry

“Katydid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/katydid. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

katydid

noun
ka·​ty·​did ˈkāt-ē-ˌdid How to pronounce katydid (audio)
: any of various large green American grasshoppers with very long antennae and males that make a high-pitched noise using sound-producing organs on the forewings
Etymology

imitation

Word Origin
Some animal names have been created through imitation of the sounds the animals make. The name katydid is an example of this process. These insects were given this name because the noise they make was thought of as sounding like "Katy-did, Katy-didn't" repeated over and over.

More from Merriam-Webster on katydid

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