Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A large flightless migratory katydid (Anabrus simplex) of western North America that is often destructive to crops and forage plants.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A large dark wingless
katydid , Anabrus simplex, that resembles a cricket and is found in the arid parts of the western U.S. where it is occasionally an abundant pest of crops.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun large dark wingless cricket-like katydid of arid parts of western United States
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Probably so called because the Mormon Church is prominent in the insect's range, and perhaps in direct reference to a swarm that threatened crops when Mormons first settled around the Great Salt Lake.]
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Examples
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deinonychus commented on the word Mormon cricket
"Despite its name, the Mormon cricket is actually a shieldbacked katydid, not a cricket. They take their name from Mormon settlers in Utah, who encountered them while pushing westward, and for the prominent role they play in the miracle of the gulls." (Wikipedia)
October 10, 2013
vendingmachine commented on the word Mormon cricket
Interesting history regarding this insect's name.
May 18, 2020
bilby commented on the word Mormon cricket
Contender for world's most boring sport.
May 23, 2020