cricket

Meaning

Noun

1. An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
2. (slang) An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
3. A signalling device used by soldiers in hostile territory to identify themselves to a friendly in low visibility conditions.
4. (slang) An aural warning sound consisting of a continuously-repeating chime, designed to be difficult for pilots to ignore.

Verb

To play the game of cricket.

Synonyms

grasshopper

locust

insect

cicada

leaping chirping insect

grig

small bench

Gryllidae

bell cricket

Acheta

gryllus

European house cricket

field cricket

true cricket

female

footstool

gnat

katydid

mantis

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɹɪkɪt/

Etymology

From Middle English creket, crykett, crykette, from Old French criket (with diminutive -et) from criquer (“to make a cracking sound; creak”), from Middle Dutch kricken (“to creak; crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną, related to Middle English creken, criken (“to creak”), all ultimately of imitative origin.
Compare Dutch kriek (“cricket”), Middle Dutch krikel, criekel, crekel (“cricket”) (with diminituve -el), Middle Low German krikel, krekel (“cricket”), German Kreckel (“cricket”). More at creak.