cicada

UK: /sɪˈkɑːdə/ US: /sɪˈkeɪdə, -ˈkɑ-/ ,(si kā′də, -kä′-)

Inflections of 'cicada' (n):

cicadas

npl

cicadae

npl

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ci•ca•da /sɪˈkeɪdə, -ˈkɑ-/   n. [countable] , pl. -das, -dae /-di/ .

1. Insects a large insect, maturing in cycles of 5 to 17 years, the adult male of which produces a prolonged high-pitched, shrill sound.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ci•ca•da  (si kā′də, -kä′-), n., pl. -das, -dae (-dē). 

1. Insects any large homopterous insect of the family Cicadidae, the male of which produces a shrill sound by means of vibrating membranes on the underside of the abdomen.

• Latin cicāda
• Middle English 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cicada / sɪˈkɑːdə/, cicala noun ( -das, -dae / -diː/, -las, -le / -leɪ/)

1. any large broad insect of the homopterous family Cicadidae, most common in warm regions. Cicadas have membranous wings and the males produce a high-pitched drone by vibration of a pair of drumlike abdominal organs

Etymology: 19th Century: from Latin